The Hell Inside My Head
by Shingeki no Shiba
Summary: Half-demon Alessei enrolls as a weapon in the DWMA. But when she falls in love with a strange boy named Crona, both her safety and her friendships are compromised. Aless must learn to deal with Crona's struggles, while trying to fix her own issues.
1. Prologue

_Hey hey, people! I've updated the story a bit, since I just read it over and realized that my favorite character was a little… off. If you've read before, look forward to more Crona shyness. If you haven't read before, please forgive me for the crappy prologue, I promise it gets better! So… um… yeah. _

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater. –coughonlyinmydreamscough-**

Prologue

Alessei ran a hand down her neck. She could feel the demon blood inside her boiling. It was only a matter of time before she spilled over.

She crossed the room to her mirror, hanging on the wall. In the manner of the rest of the room, it was smooth, stainless steel. A dark red stain spattered the wall next to the mirror, forever a reminder to Alessei to keep away from sharp-edged iron. She removed the hand from her aching forehead and forced herself to look at the creature in the mirror.

The half-demon stared back. Her wide green eyes were dilated, the pupils a tiny black speck. Always a clear sign that the blood would take her over. Alessei chanced a smile, but it turned into a terrible snarl. _People with fangs don't smile_. Trying to retract her fangs, she found she couldn't. _This is new_. A shaking hand, nails curved into claws, ran a finger down one alabaster fang. No matter how hard she pushed, the fangs stayed out.

_I'm really gone this time, Mama. Gone for good_.

Alessei's spine screamed in pain as she bent forwards, then backwards into a position that would break a human's back. The convulsions were always painful, and this one was no exception. She felt the spines pierce the soft, pale skin of her back, and bit her tongue to stifle a shriek. _No good waking the rest of the dorm up with my problems_. Her hair fell out of its meticulously sculpted twist, and the girl groaned in frustration. _That'll take forever to get just right again,_ was her last thought before she went under


	2. Chapter 1

_In this chapter: Our heroes are introduced, the main character's meister is a jerkface, and Stein dissects an endangered species~!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**_

Chapter 1

"Hey, Rikita," Alessei said through a mouthful of noodles.

"What, Aless? And chew your food first."

Alessei gulped down her food, scolding herself inwardly. She kept forgetting that these people were more refined than her old crowd. DWMA students had always seemed snobbish to her old friends, but to Alessei they were unearthly in their grace and manner. And while her fellow demon dusters wouldn't mind a girl chewing with her mouth open, bad manners were frowned upon here.

"Y'see that kid over there?" She pointed.

"It's not polite to point, Aless." Alessei groaned. Rikita was her meister, but she got on her nerves to no end. _I'll learn eventually_. The redheaded meister turned to where Aless had pointed. "Which kid?"

"The tall one with the pink hair," Rikita's weapon responded. "Is that a dude or a chick?"

"Dude. We think." Riki took a bite of her sandwich. "His name's Crona. Tough name for a he-she."

"Tough or not, I don't care. He is fiiiiiine," Alessei cackled to her friend. "Who're those people around him?"

"Them? Well, that girl is Maka Albarn, and the white-haired guy's Soul "Eater" Evans. They're okay I guess. I don't like Crona much, though. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," Aless mumbled, downing half her bottle of soda and letting out a humongous burp. She slapped her hands over her mouth.

"Oh, relax, Aless. Nobody heard. It's too loud in this cafeteria."

"I don't give a crap if they heard, Riki!" She leaned in closer to her meister. "What if they saw my…" She tapped her lips with one bony finger.

Now it was Rikita's turn to cackle with laughter.

"Girl, it's obvious what you are. Somebody'd have to live under a rock to not get it the moment they saw you. Your eyes give you away as much as your fangs."

"Oh, shush," she said with a flick of her hand. "It's a reasonable concern."

The bell rang and Alessei bolted out of her chair, grabbing her bag of school books. She marched off to Honors Biology with a soda and a dream.

* * *

><p>"Alright, class!" cried Dr. Stein, clapping his hands. "Let's start! Today we'll be doing dissections, so-"<p>

"We _always_ do dissections, Dr. Stein," grumbled one of the students.

"Yes, but today," said Stein, pulling the cover off of the large crate next to his desk, "we'll be dissecting tigers!"

"But Dr. Stein," said one student tentatively. "Aren't tigers, like, endangered?"

"Nonsense, Sasazuka! Don't question me like that! Points deducted from your grade!"

Sasazuka just put his head down on his desk and moaned. _The poor boy doesn't deserve that,_ thought Aless. _And tigers are endangered. I'm pretty sure it's a crime to kill them_.

One of the students was saying just as much when Stein silenced him.

"Well, a lot of good that'll do us, seeing as they're already dead!" He clapped again. "Get into partners and we'll start!"

Alessei watched dumbly as the students all paired up with their friends. _Nobody wants to be with the new girl_. Across the room, she saw someone else standing alone. _The pink-haired he-she! What's his name…? Crona! _She made her way through the throng of students to the boy, whose eyes were downcast in anxiety. He looked up with a gasp as she neared him.

"Hey," Aless chirped, trying her best charming smile. _Lips closed, don't show the fangs…_ This boy was tall, at least ten inches taller than her scrawny self. Up close, she saw deep bags under his eyes and the pallor of his skin. "Wanna be partners?"

"S-sure," he stuttered, wringing his hands together. In his eyes was a look of terror that seemed misplaced. _Am I that scary? _"What's your name? I haven't seen you here. Well, I haven't seen much of anyone, actually. I'm new."

"So am I," she replied, nodding. "My name's Alessei, but you can call me Aless. And what name may I match to this lovely face?"

It took a second for the boy to realize that she meant him.

"Crona," he said. "N-nice to meet you."

"A pleasure. Now let's get our tiger. You any good in Biology?"

"No," Crona mumbled. "I don't know how I got into Honors. I've never dissected an endangered animal before. I don't want any guilt from this. I don't know how to deal with it."

Alessei chuckled.

"I don't know how I'm gonna deal with it either. But don't worry. You get used to guilt after a while," she added, looking at him sidelong to gauge his reaction. To her shock, her nodded.

"Don't I know it," he said. "I'm used to guilt, and yet I still can't deal with it. I'm kind of a failure that way." He pinched the pale skin of his wrist and winced.

"What was that?" asked Aless asked, puzzled.

"Oh. The pinch. The doctor told me that I have low self esteem, and that whenever I think something negative about myself, to pinch myself so I don't think it again. It hasn't really helped, though. I'm used to pain, so it doesn't do anything."

"Used to pain?" she asked, grabbing a scalpel and a slightly heavy bag that could only contain a tiger cub. She felt sick. "What do you mean?"

"I have black blood, didn't you know? It's all around school. The story, I mean. Not the blood." He let out a nervous, slightly hysterical giggle.

"Well I haven't heard it. Black blood? I've never heard of that before."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Fair enough," she sighed. She snapped a pair of rubber gloves on. "Let's get down to business, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"<em>Eeeee, Riki!<em>" Alessei squealed, tackle-hugging her partner. "Guess what guess what guess what?"

"What? And for your own sake, get off me before I throttle you."

"Ah, ah, ah!" she mockingly scolded, wagging a finger. "There will be no throttling. It isn't polite, now is it?"

"Neither is tackling people from behind. Now are you going to tell me or what?"

The two girls were walking down the arched halls of the DWMA back to their dorm wing. Alessei loved the architecture of the building. The high ceilings were so different from the abandoned houses she used to flit between with her friends. It was a good thing, she'd decided. Made the place feel less cramped.

"I was partners with that Crona kid in Bio today, and he wants to study with me sometime! I was brave and I asked him and he said yes! Well, I think it was a yes… he was kind of quiet and stutter-y. Oh well. Yay!" She leaned against the marble wall and sighed.

Rikita put a hand to her head and moaned.

"Alessei, you do know that he's…"

Aless lifted her head suddenly, the sharp movement leaving her vision fuzzy for a moment.

"What? What is he? He seemed fine to me." She felt a defensive wall rise up between her and her meister.

Riki held up her hands, palms out, refusing to look at her partner.

"You know what, Aless? I'm not even going to try to tell you this. I can hear it in your voice. You won't listen to reason. You're just too stubborn. Have your little study session with that freak. Find out yourself." She started walking.

Alessei got up from her position on the wall, and tried to follow her friend.

"Riki? You're being totally unfair! Of course I'll listen to you!"

"And _don't_ follow me."


	3. Chapter 2

_In this chapter: Aless is angsty, Crona is unconvinced of his cuteness, and I create a drug! Yay!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**_

Chapter 2

Alessei gazed into her mirror, trying to reconcile with her own mind. A ragged creature stared back. Pallid, paper-thin skin stretched over fine bones. _How could I ever love myself?_ Sometimes she wished that she wasn't so thin, that her body wasn't envied by the other girls. _They don't know what I went through for this. I never wanted it. I'd rather have even an ounce of fat on my body…_ She picked up the razor. _I'm sorry, Mama. I tried to stop… but I have to._ The glimmering blade inched closer to her upper arm.

A quiet knock at the door stopped her.

Her head jerked to the clock, which was blocked by a metal cage. _Dammit. 2 PM already? How long have I been staring at myself?_ She stuffed the razor into the dresser drawer, nicking her hand in the process. _Shit, that hurts._ Alessei shoved her hand in her mouth and sucked on the wound. The knock sounded again.

"Coming!" she called.

Opening the door, she saw Crona's tall, lean figure. He twisted a lock of his light pink hair and looked down.

"I was s-s-scared you weren't here," he said. "Th-that you were messing with me when you said to drop by."

Aless laughed, a little too loudly, trying to shake off the shock.

"Don't worry. I'm not like that. Come on in. What do you think of my room? I just redecorated."

Crona's anxious eyes darted around the room.

"I-I like it. It's very… sleek."

He spoke the truth. There was not a sharp edge in the room, and anything breakable was protected somehow. Stainless steel tubing accented the edge of the dresser, the desk, the headboard of the bed. The candles and their sconces were protected by steel bars, much like the clock. The window was closed.

"Yeah. I somehow feel… safer, without sharpness, you know? You got your books?"

He nodded.

"Great, let's start."

* * *

><p>"So basically mitosis is the splitting of cells," said Aless. "How that relates to what we're doing in class, I don't know. I'd say that Dr. Stein will probably explain it later, only he probably won't. That man never teaches with the book."<p>

Crona nodded, frowning. _He looks so serious… I wonder why?_

"Yeah, the t-t-tests would probably be a lot easier if he a-actually taught the material. B-but I like Dr. Stein. He's always nice, and he's not scary like Mr. Sid."

They were on Alessei's bed, Aless stretched out, Crona sitting next to her, legs crossed, spine ramrod straight, and looking very uncomofrtable. Aless was sure she was red in the face, either from talking so much or from the jitteriness she always got when she was with someone she liked. In any case, she felt hot.

"Is it warm in here, or is it me?" She tugged at the collar of her dark green jacket. "I'm gonna open the window, 'kay?"

"Oh, um… okay."

She flopped back onto the bed, sighing.

"Hey, you wanna take a break?" she asked. "My brain hurts. Although that might be because…" She glanced at the clock. "Ah, that explains it. It's three o' clock, on the dot." She dug her bottle of pills out of the pocket of her skirt and popped one of the little red suckers in her mouth. Crona watched, confused.

"What's that for?" he asked. "Are you sick?"

"In a sense." She laughed without mirth. "I used to be a demon duster. These pills keep the cravings and withdrawal away." When he looked at her blankly, she chuckled. "You don't know what that is, do you? A demon duster?"

Crona shook his head, obviously lost.

"Well, let me tell you. See, when a kishin is killed, you can see their souls, right? That's what the weapons eat. Well, what you can't see is the invisible residue left by the souls. It looks like a red powder, and can only be seen by those with kishin blood. The powder's called demon dust. It's collected by underground dealers, those with the mixed blessing of a kishin parent. If humans eat it, it makes them sick. But if people like us eat it, weapons and meisters, they get a high. It's highly addictive, and those addicts are called demon dusters."

Crona nodded a little, as if he understood.

"But the downside is that if you use it too much, it starts to turn you into a demon. That's what happened to me. I started turning, so I knew I had to quit. But even if you quit, what's already been done can't be reversed." She gestured to her body. "That's why I'm like this. All thin and pale. That's why my eyes are wide, and my teeth…" She opened her mouth, pushing out her fangs. He flinched a little. "Don't worry, I usually keep the fangs in. But I'll always look like this. And if I don't take demon dust, I go into withdrawal. I vomit up blood and have convulsions. Nasty stuff, withdrawal. That's why I take these pills. Three times a day, for the rest of my life. Understand now?"

He just nodded, seemingly in awe.

"Still wanna be friends with me?"

He nodded vigorously, silver eyes wide.

"Good. Than you're a lot nicer than most people. I knew I could trust you." She chuckled to herself. "Y'know, Rikita – that's my meister - , she said that anybody could tell I was an addict by looking at me, unless they lived under a rock. I'm kind of shocked you didn't know." _What skeletons are in _your_ closet, little girl-boy?_

"Y-yeah," Crona stuttered. "I was… isolated, I guess, growing up. I wasn't exposed to the things most people were. That's why it's hard for me to interact with others." He paused. "H-hey, Aless? When you asked me to be your partner in class, um… you said something when you asked my name. Something about matching a name to a face?"

Alessei laughed out loud, glad that the heavy talk was over.

"Yeah. 'And what name may I match to this lovely face?' I talk like that sometimes. What about it?"

"I was wondering… d-did you mean it?" He was straining to get the words out, as if he were being choked by fear itself, his face a mask of anxiety. She decided to not even jokingly give him a hard time. To him, it wouldn't be flirty. It would be cruel.

"What? About you being lovely?"

He bit his lip and gave a quick nod.

"'Course I meant it, Crona. I may be part demon, and I may have been stupid and cruel enough to have put myself this way, and I may have lived a life of crime. But I don't lie. Not anymore. I meant it. I think you're… lovely."

Crona relaxed his shoulders, and Alessei realized that they'd been hunched. He gave a tentative smile, like someone who still isn't sure whether they are in reality or fantasy.

"…Lovely," he whispered to himself. "I-I'm not used to compliments. I don't really know how to deal with compliments." He cleared his throat. "What makes you think I'm lovely? When most people meet me, they think I'm mad. I certainly look mad. Fearful eyes, shaking hands, dark circles under my eyes because I never get any sleep. If you think that's lovely, you must be mad as well."

Alessei grinned, trying to think of a way to put her thoughts into words. She sat up, putting her hands on Crona's shoulders so he faced her, feeling the thin bones of his shoulders and collarbone. She felt him jump a little, but at least he was looking her in the eyes. Even through the thick black robe he wore, she felt the heat of his body.

"How can I say this… when you've been through what I've been through, you don't feel the same way when you look at sick people. Most people look at signs of sickness and think they're signs of weakness. But I think they're signs of… strength. Y'know, I don't really like using the term 'mad'. You're not mad. You're just… sick. And in time, with some help, you get better. I really believe that."

Crona blinked, slow, like a cat. He just stared at his hands, taking in what she'd just said.

"S-s-so you don't think I'm c-crazy?"

Aless gave him a lopsided smile and shrugged.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know you very well yet, but you seem shy more than anything else. Definitely not crazy. And something tells me that there's a reason for your shyness." She frowned. "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine, but I'm no stranger to checkered pasts, so if you did tell me, I'd be understanding."

Crona fidgeted a bit then gathered his books and stood up.

"I-I'm sorry, Aless, but I r-really don't want to talk about it. I should go. M-Maka and her friends want me to play basketball with them."

"Alrighty. See you in Bio tomorrow." She waved.

He nodded.

"Y-yeah."

_Oh em gee, so many emotions! I based Aless's little speech off of what I tell myself when I'm insecure about my own… mentally disturbed-ness. "You're not crazy, you're just sick." Anyway, I doubt anybody cares, but y'know, whatevs. Just a little author's note. _


	4. Chapter 3

_In this chapter: Aless is mad at her meister, Crona is terrified, and Ragnarok's just a perv. No shocks there._

_**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**_

Chapter 3

Alessei took a monstrous bite out of her sandwich, pretending it was Rikita's head.

_It's been two days… and she still won't talk to me? Even in training… she barely says a word, and she lets me get beat up. I've still got bruises…_

She couldn't understand why her partner would ignore her like this. Even if her judgment was a little off (which, she had to admit, most of the time it was), Riki should be trying to set her straight, not just flat-out refuse to help. That's what partners did. Right?

Aless and Crona had become "biology buddies". They were paired up for all the science experiments Dr. Stein made them do. Rikita had noticed them walking together, and Aless had noticed her noticing.

_I can't eat anymore._ The drug that compensated the demon dust suppressed her appetite. _Like I have to get any skinnier._ Absently, she pinched the skin on her upper arm. A bit of flesh came away from the lean, wiry muscle. _Pathetic_. She'd always admired the beauty of curvier girls, and couldn't understand why they'd want to be thinner.

_No. Can't think about that_. Tossing away her food and wiping the forming tears from her eyes, Aless scrambled to her next class.

* * *

><p>Aless poured the vial of water into the beaker. For once, they were doing more than dissections in Biology.<p>

"Crona? Pour that clear chemical in… the whatchamacallit… the sodium nitrogen! Yeah! Pour it in."

Crona tipped the test tube he was holding slightly. A drop of liquid plopped into the beaker. Inside the glass, the mixture fizzled, steam rising. The whole thing exploded with a tremendous _crash!_ and they both screamed. Aless coughed as the smoke cleared, faintly hearing Dr. Stein's cackle as her eardrums came back to life. The other students, who hadn't gotten as far in the experiment, stared.

"Dr. Stein, what was the point of us doing that?" cried Alessei. "Did you write the directions wrong or something? Damn!" She took a deep breath as he laughed more. "The nerve of this guy, huh, Crona?" Hearing no response, she looked to her right. "Crona?"

The boy was gone. Puzzled, Aless leaned down under the desk, to find her lab partner huddled up underneath.

"Crona?... It's okay to come out. The explosion's over."

Crona, face to his knees, shook his head vigorously.

"Hey, are you gonna be okay? Want to go to the nurse? I'll take you to the nurse. Come on."

"No!" came the muffled cry. "I-I don't like the nurse. I wanna stay here. There's a corner under here. I'll be fine."

Exhaling and closing her eyes in exasperation, Aless grasped his wrist and attempted to pull him up. But for his wraithlike body, he was surprisingly strong, and he didn't budge. Trying not to have a frustrated breakdown, she let go of him and stood up again.

"Dr. Stein? May I be excused for the rest of today's lesson? I'll take the grade…" The teacher nodded, half-attentive. She crouched under the desk with Crona. "Crona? D'you wanna talk about it?"

"No."

Alessei had seen people like this before. How many times had she had to drag home a friend who'd overdosed on demon dust, who was seeing invisible monsters and couldn't move an inch? How many times had she seen someone completely and utterly collapse from the drug? But this wasn't caused by a drug. Whatever Crona was facing was inside his own mind.

She put an arm around his bony shoulders and sat there, listening to his muffled sobs.

* * *

><p>"Aless? Can… can I come with you? I don't want to be alone."<p>

The bell had rung, and Alessei was preparing to go back to her dorm. But the tiny voice of her fallen lab partner stopped her.

"Sure. Come on, let's get going."

As they walked, Aless was amazed at how someone so tall could seem so small. With his shoulders hunched and his eyes to the floor, Crona seemed shorter than she was. And Aless was one of the shortest people she knew. _A strong bearing makes all the difference_.

When they reached the room, they were shocked to see Rikita standing outside. She gave them a glare.

"What's up, lovebirds?" she growled. "Why's he here? I wanted to talk to you, Aless, not the freak!"

Beside her, Crona flinched. It hurt Aless to leave him and approach her meister.

"Can the bitchy confrontation wait until later?" she whispered to Riki. "He's in a bad way right now, and I don't need your insults at the moment."

Rikita paused, then huffed.

"Fine. If you really want to ditch your own meister to spend time with the Demon Sword, be my guest. But don't expect me to save you from a beating at practice tomorrow." She stalked off.

_Demon Sword? Was she serious?_ Aless had heard all about the Demon Swordmaster, and his mysterious weapon. She opened the door and Crona stepped into the room. Immediately he leaned against the wall and sank to the floor, shaking.

"It's okay. She didn't mean what she said. She says things she doesn't mean all the time." _But was this one of them?_ "You're not a freak. Rikita's just… intolerant."

"I am a freak," he muttered. "I can't even interact with others! And there's nothing you can do to help me."

"Now that's not-"

She gasped as her friend convulsed, black liquid rising out of his back. The liquid solidified to form what could only be described as a tiny demon – black, muscular skin, with what appeared to be white boxing gloves. On its face was a white X, with two blank white eyes.

"Crona, you idiot!" The creature punched the boy he'd risen out of. "Don't listen to her, you freak!"

"Ow! Stop! That hurts!"

"Yo!" Aless yelled. "You're hurting him! Stop it!"

The creature stopped punching Crona and looked up at her.

"And who are you?" it asked.

"I'm Aless," she said, her voice shaking. "Who are you? Why are you beating him up?"

The thing threw its head back and cackled.

"I'm Ragnarok, Crona's weapon!" Hearing her gasp, it laughed again. "Didn't you know? He's the Demon Swordmaster!"

By this point, Crona was near tears. Aless stared at him, not sure what to say. _Riki was right… is that why she hates him?_

"Well, he may be the Demon Swordmaster, but he's still my friend!" she proclaimed. "And I would appreciate it if you stopped hurting him. Weapons and meisters are supposed to like each other, you know."

"Yeah, but who would be friends with a wimp like this?" Ragnarok slapped Crona again.

"That's it!" Alessei drew her hand back and slapped Ragnarok with all her might. Both weapon and meister went flying.

"Ow!" they cried in unison.

"Sorry, Crona, but I had to teach this… this _thing_ a lesson," she hissed. "_Now_ will you stop?"

Ragnarok just glared at her.

"How did you do that?" he yelled. "Humans can't hurt us! How are you that strong?"

"Th-that's none of your business," she stuttered. _His secret's out. Doesn't mean mine has to be._ "Now go away. Please."

Shaking its head, the creature disappeared back inside Crona's body. The boy sat up, shivering.

"Are you hurt?" Aless asked, showing a completely different side of herself. She put a hand to his cheek and he flinched. "Relax, I won't hurt you. You really took a beating, huh? Does that happen often?"

"N-not as often as it used to. But it still hurts." He sniffed. "I'm sorry I'm crying, Aless. I j-j-just don't know how to interact with you. I'm a f-failure of a friend."

"Oh, no, sweetie," she said, forcing cheer into her voice and giving him a hug. She felt his whole body stiffen, as if he wasn't used to affection. _This poor kid's really screwed up._ "Trust me, I've seen worse breakdowns in my time. What do you say we get you cleaned up? Wipe those tears away. Then we'll get something to eat. Alright?" He frowned and nodded.

In the end, Aless had to get the food herself, because Crona was afraid to leave the room. When she got back, he was curled up on the floor, leaning against the bed.

"You can sit on the bed, you know. The floor isn't very comfortable." Looking awkward, he climbed onto the mattress. "Here. I got you something." She tossed a package of cookies at him and he flailed around trying to catch it. "Cookies make everything better, right?" Sitting with her back to the headboard, Aless took a bite out of her sandwich and sighed. "They make good food here. I could live on these sandwiches alone." Crona just nodded. "So… you wanna talk about it?"

He bit his lip, looking wary. Finally he spoke.

"How much do you know about me being the Demon Sword?" he asked.

"I know that your blood is a weapon, and that Medusa was your mother and she was in charge of you. That girl named Maka freed you and got you enrolled here. That's really all I know. It's all anyone knows. You're a mystery. I don't think most people even know you're the Demon Sword."

"Well, it's… it's a long story. But to put it simply, Medusa was the most abusive mother you could ever imagine." He took a small bite of a chocolate chip cookie. "That explosion in the lab reminded me of the training she made me do. And once I start thinking about something like that, I can't stop. And now I'm just scared. Maka says it's called anxiety."

"Gotcha. You know, I get that sometimes, too. Docs say it's flashbacks from the drug abuse. I know what you're talking about." She paused. "Medusa was abusive, huh? Why am I not surprised? My mom's dead. Died when I was twelve. That's when I started using demon dust. If you ever want to talk, you know, I'm here for you. I think I can relate to your anxiety pretty well."

Crona crawled up to the top of the bed so he was leaning on the headboard next to her.

"You mean that?"

"'Course I mean it. I always mean what I say. Why?"

"Well… some people told me that it sometimes makes it better if you tell someone about your problems. But Maka doesn't always have time to listen to my problems, and Soul doesn't want to hear them. A0and even when Maka is able to listen, she doesn't really understand, I don't think. It's hard to understand madness when you've never been mad yourself. Will you listen to me?"

Alessei nodded. He launched into the whole story, the punishment, the beatings, the pain of being used liked a puppet. Every once in a while, Alessei had to wait as he tried to catch his breath through tears. As the light through the window dimmed, his voice grew slower. Eventually, he stopped, and Aless thought that the story was over.

"Sounds horrendous… I don't know what to say…Crona?"

There was no response. A glance to her left told her that that he'd fallen asleep, sitting up, head against the cement wall behind the bed. _Jeepers. That looks uncomfortable._ As if answering her thoughts, he sank sideways, landing with his head on her shoulder. _Nice. Now what do I do? I'd wake him up, but… this is the happiest I've ever seen him look._ It was true. At least in sleep, he didn't have that tortured, distraught look that he wore so well. She stared down at him, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Eventually she settled for trying to get some sleep herself, patting his hair. As she sat there with her eyes closed, Aless tried to sort out her thoughts.

She'd originally thought that this boy would be a temporary distraction, something cute to play with and then drop when a better opportunity came along. But now her feelings were different. Not only would it be cruel to drop him, but that was the thing: she didn't want to leave him in the dust. They had a lot in common, Aless and Crona. And now she wanted more.

_Dammit, Aless. Why do you have to feel this way, huh? Why are you so stupid?_

She tried to fall asleep, without success. Soon she realized the problem – she hadn't gotten into her nightclothes. And she hadn't taken a bath. Alessei was a creature of habit, and she knew that if she didn't take her daily hot bath, she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night.

Inching her way out from under Crona and replacing her shoulder with a pillow, she gathered up her nightclothes and a towel and tiptoed into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Alessei sank her body into the steamy water with a sigh. For some reason, she'd always been more relaxed in water. When she took a bath, she could forget her problems and just calm down. <em>Forget your problems. Forget him. Forget Riki. Forget the Demonology test.<em> She gasped. _Damn! I forgot about the test! Oh well. I'll study tomorrow. Forget the Demonology test…_ But she couldn't get the feelings of self-hatred out of her head. _Idiot, idiot, idiot. _So she picked up the razor that she'd brought in with her. It didn't take much pressure to slice through her thin flesh, and for that she was grateful. The red haze spread across her vision and she felt a wave of calm come over her. For once, she had power over her body. Power and control… that's what cutting was about.

Aless dipped her arm into the water, watching the red cloud bloom. It felt so comfortable, so right. Before long she was singing a low tune, satisfied with the sound of her voice.

It was because of this tune that she didn't notice Crona calling her name from the other room. She also didn't notice the doorknob turning until it was too late. Her eyes shot open. Crona had cracked open the door and was obviously startled by the sight.

"_Aaaaiiieee!"_ She curled up, quick as a wink, to cover herself.

"Aaahh!" He slammed the door closed, loud enough that Aless was sure the people in the surrounding rooms had woken up.

_Mortifying._

She drained the tub and dried herself off, scrambling into her nightclothes, stopping the flow of blood with the towel. Even after that she sat on the floor, trying to come up with something to say to him. _Now who has anxiety?_ She tried to shrug it off, knowing that he'd be even more freaked out than she was. Dumping the towel down the laundry chute, she went back into the bedroom.

Crona was huddled in the corner. When he saw her, he immediately covered his head.

"Don't hit me! Please! I didn't think you were… I didn't mean to… Ragnarok made me do it!"

"You bet I did!" cried Ragnarok, springing out of Crona's back. "Though I was expecting a better sight than that…"

"You! Ragnarok! Scram! You're the reason for this whole horrible… incident, you've done your part, so just go away." Sullen, Ragnarok disappeared, mumbling something about no fun.

"P-p-p-please don't hurt me!" sobbed Crona. "I r-really didn't mean to. You have to believe me. He-he's my blood, so he can move my body. And he's a pervert, ask anyone. It wasn't me, it… it was my stupid weapon!"

"Hush. I believe you," said Alessei, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers. _Calm yourself down. Don't take your anger out on him. Take it out on that little bloody brat tomorrow. Deep breaths_. "I'm not mad at you. Just… try to be more careful, eh?"

"I'm sorry. So sorry. I'll fight him next time. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Crona's hands were clenched into fists, and it was obvious that he was fighting tears. _Damn, this boy cries a lot._ Aless exhaled loudly. The corner of her mouth twitched up the tiniest bit. Now that the shock had worn off, she could see the sick humor of the situation. And sickness and humor were her specialties.

"Gave you a shock there, huh?" She gave an exhausted chuckle. "Didn't think I was gonna have a visitor. Guess I shouldn't be cutting with people in my room." Another manic giggle. Much as she hated to admit it, the whole incident had given her a bit of a thrill. _Though it may just be the high from cutting. Am I sick or what? This kid's upset and all I can think about is getting high._

"Y-you were cutting? I was wondering w-why the water was red."

"Yeah, actually, I was." She stretched and yawned. "Look, can we talk about this some other time? I'm ready to pass out from fatigue." She climbed under the covers.

"A-alright. Goodnight." He started to leave, but paused. "Um…" He fidgeted a bit.

"What, Crona? I'm tired. Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"I… I don't like walking in the dark…"

Aless groaned. Difficult as this was, she had to admit his shyness was endearing.

"Do you want to stay here tonight? Is that what you're hinting at? 'Cause you can if you want. So long as the black-blood-brat doesn't make an appearance," she added, referring to Ragnarok.

"R-really? You mean it? Th-thank you so much, Aless. I promise I won't be trouble."

"Yeah, yeah. Please go to sleep before I change my mind. Kidding," she added at his scared look. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He stretched out on the floor, curling into a painful-looking position.

"What are you doing? You don't have to sleep on the floor. What kind of person would I be to make you do that? The floor is hard and cold. The bed is soft and warm. C'mon, I won't bite," she added.

He shook his head vigorously, eyes wide. _Too shy, I guess. Oh well. _

"Okay. But you're at least taking this." She tossed a blanket and a pillow down onto the floor and heard him moving around, trying to get comfortable. "See you in the morning, Crona."

There was no answer. He was already asleep.


	5. Chapter 4

_In this chapter: Kid throws a party, Soul is forced to play piano, and Aless is an embarrassment to former street kids everywhere. You know, the usual._

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**

Chapter 4

"Hey, have you seen this kid? Hey, you! Stop!"

Alessei tilted her head towards Maka's voice, half listening. The other half of her was thinking about Crona. He'd stayed in her room, insisting he'd be out soon. But he'd looked kind of scared. Aless had just shrugged and left him. Much as she wanted to help the poor boy, she had her own classes to get to. And she couldn't afford to screw her school life up.

"Have you seen my friend?" Maka was asking. "He's tall, and thin, and he's got pink hair and he's really shy? Does that sound familiar? No? Okay, sorry to waste your time."

Grunting, Aless stood and crossed the classroom to Maka. Her body was stiff today, and her joints ached. The new moon was tonight, and she would be transforming later on. _All the more reason to get him out of my room_.

"Maka!" She waved and Maka ran over to her.

"Yes, Alessei? What's up?"

"I couldn't help but overhear you asking about where your friend went. His name's Crona, right?"

"Yes! Have you seen him? He never went back to his room last night, and I'm worried that he got lost or-"

"Relax. He's in my room. Went back with me after classes and spent the night. Yo, you have lunch now, right? We can head up to my room and see if he's still there."

Maka nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

As they walked through the halls of dorm rooms, Maka shook her head.

"I don't understand. Why would he shack up in your room instead of going back to his own? Did he seem upset?"

"Well, we've been studying together for a few days, and we were partners in Biology yesterday. Our experiment exploded, and he asked if he could come to my room. Later he told me that the explosion brought back bad memories. The whole thing turned into a therapy session of sorts. Strange as it sounds. Me helping him become saner?" She laughed. "It's like the blind leading the blind. But he seemed better after telling me everything. Only problem is, it was night by the time he was ready to leave, and he said he hated walking home in the dark. So I let him stay in my room. He wouldn't leave this morning. I thought I heard crying last night, so my guess is that he had a nightmare and it's still bothering him. Evidently his mind is fragile. Here's my room." They stopped and opened the door. "Crona? You still here?" There was a mumble from the far side of the room and Maka swept in past Aless.

"Crona!" she cried. "Are you alright?" She ran over to the hunched figure in the corner. "C'mon, there's nothing to be afraid of." She hauled him up. "Why didn't you want to leave?" He just shook his head, with an expression that reminded Aless of a raincloud.

"Seemed like a panic attack to me," said Alessei, trying to be helpful. At Maka's blank stare, she sighed. "Go read some mental health books, the both of you. Might help a bit."

"Oh. Thank you so much, Aless! I'll see you in Battle Tech tomorrow!" She rushed out of the room with her friend. Aless leaned in the doorway, one foot propped up against the door frame. _Strange bird, that kid. But sweet._ She smiled and started walking.

* * *

><p>Once in the lunchroom, she found Rikita.<p>

"Yo, Riki! Over here!" She waved. The tall, muscular meister started at her name and trudged over.

"Hi, Aless. What's up?"

"Look, can we talk?" Aless sat down on the stone wall surrounding the garden in the center of the cafeteria. Riki did the same, albeit grudgingly.

"What?" she snapped.

"Riki, I know you're mad at me-"

"What? I'm not mad." She let out a hysterical giggle. "What're you talking about?"

"Cut the crap and let's get real. You're mad. And I want to know why."

Rikita just rolled her eyes.

"I told you that kid was bad news, Aless, And now you're getting all chummy with him. Why didn't you listen to me?"

"How is he bad news?" Aless demanded. "I don't understand. What did he do that was so horrible?"

"He's the Demon Sword, for crying out loud! He's been working for the enemy! All that crap about him being good… don't you see what I'm seeing?"

"He _was_ working for the enemy, Riki. Not anymore. I really don't think he's bad anymore." At her friend's obvious skepticism, she added, "People can change. I would know. And there's no way for us to know that he hasn't changed. Please. Do we really have to end our friendship over a dumb boy?"

Rikita processed this, then smirked.

"Yeah, I guess it would be pretty stupid to hate you just because of this. I guess you're right. I'll try to tolerate it. Friends?"

"Promise not to abuse me at practice?"

"Promise."

"Then yeah. Friends." They shook hands.

As Alessei ordered her lunch, Rikita's face lit up.

"I just remembered! There's a party at Death the Kid's place tonight! And I'm actually invited. We get to bring our weapons. You in?"

"Hell yeah! Let's party!" Aless pumped a fist in the air and Rikita blushed as people stared.

"Not a rowdy party, Aless," she whispered. "A nice, formal party."

"Oh. Okay." Aless figured that this would be a bad time to mention that the only parties she'd been to involved demon dust and copious amounts of alcohol. "That's cool, too."

"You don't have anything to wear, do you?"

"Uh-uh." Her friend sighed.

"Fine. You'll just have to wear something of mine."

* * *

><p>"Aye aye aye, Riki! That'll never fit me!"<p>

"Oh, hush. It was mine when I was, what, twelve? I don't even know why I still have it. In any case, it's the only thing that'll come close to fitting you. Here. Take it."

The dress was wine-red satin, with amethyst jewels dripping from the neckline. It was beautiful, Aless had to admit. Nothing like anything she'd ever worn. The problem was that while Rikita was tall and of a robust build, Aless was very short and bone thin. The dress was meant to hit high on the thigh, but came down to her knees. _Oh well. It's all I've got._ She stepped out of the bathroom and modeled the dress for Rikita.

"Jeez, that thing's big on you. Wait here." She ran into her bedroom and came out with a sewing kit."

"You know how to sew?"

"No, this is my mom's. But with some pins…" She grabbed out a few straight pins with shiny purple balls on the ends and stuck them through the back and hem of the dress, taking it in at the waist and making the hemline higher. "There. Gorgeous. Take a look."

Holding her breath, Aless stepped in front of the full-length mirror. The world seemed to melt away around her as she stared at herself. Riki's quick-fix tailoring was a miracle, creating curves on her drug-ravaged body. _Damn, my waist is tiny. Is it an illusion?_ She ran a hand down her side. _No, it's real!_ Aless felt tears welling up in her eyes. _Oh, Mama, you'd be so proud of me right now! Did you ever think that your little girl would be going to a ball?_ She wiped the tears away and turned back to Rikita.

"It's perfect."

* * *

><p>Kid's house was huge and imposing, with gothic arches and balconies, in perfect symmetry, of course. Aless shrank back from the door as Riki knocked. A man in a fine black suit opened the door.<p>

"Yes. What are your names?"

"I'm Rikita LaRue, and this is my partner, Alessei Giles."

The man skimmed a finger down the list he was holding until he found their names. He checked them off with a shiny blue pen, then ushered them into the ballroom where the party was being held. Alessei gasped.

"So… many… people…" Even though she was sure no one was looking, she couldn't shake the feeling of being stared at. "Riki," she whispered, standing on tiptoe to get close to her partner's ear, "I don't know any of these people."

"Then it's a good thing you have me, huh? I don't know many, either, but I'll introduce you to the ones I know. Come on." Rikita walked away, looking tall and elegant, dragging her short, nervous friend.

Alessei met many people that night, most of whom dismissed her as a worthless demon duster. _Maybe my old friends were right. Maybe they are mostly snobs_. She downed two glasses of a fruity green drink, her mouth was so dry. Eventually, she leaned against the staircase with Rikita, chatting quietly. Her gaze kept going across the room, to one particular boy. Crona was with Maka, Soul, Kid, and a few others she didn't know. And he looked, well, attractive. She couldn't help wishing she could dance with him. _Damn crushes. _Aless let out a small sigh, and Riki tapped her on the shoulder, jolting her to reality.

"You really like him, huh?"

Aless gave a weak laugh.

"Am I that obvious?"

"You can't keep your eyes off him."

"In that case, I'll go drink myself into a coma. It's embarrassing."

"You can't. There's no alcohol here. You should go over and say hi, if you want to that badly."

"Nah. I don't wanna embarrass him, too. I'll stay over here and drown in puppy love, thank you very much."

"Come on. It's torture watching you."

"Deal with it." She glanced back over at him one more time, and their eyes met. She held his gaze for a second, then looked away, blushing.

"That's it. I'm going over there. And you're coming with me." She grasped Aless's arm ad pulled.

"No! It's embarrassing!"

"It'll be more embarrassing if I go over there alone to tell him you've got a mad crush on him! Which would you prefer?"

"Geez, you don't have to be that harsh. Fine, I'll come."

When they got close to the group of people, Aless could feel her heart drop into her stomach.

"Hi Aless!" cried Maka. "Guys, this is Aless and Riki! They're pretty cool." Everyone introduced themselves. Rikita, who was chatting with Liz, gave Aless a glance and a small smile. _Go for it,_ she was saying. Alessei took a deep breath and walked over to Crona.

"Hey, Crona. Nice party, huh?" She bit her lip.

"Yeah, I… guess." His cheeks were pink, and he was staring intensely at the ground.

"Ah, I get it. You don't like all the people, huh? Don't worry. I came in here knowing three of them, and they were you, Maka, and Riki. Riki introduced me to people, but I'm still jittery." She laughed. "Guess we're in the same boat, huh?"

He looked her in the eye for once and smiled just a tiny bit.

"Uh-huh. I guess we are."

"You look nice, by the way!" she blurted. _God, that sounded stupid. What's wrong with me?_ "I-I mean, it's nice to see you not wearing black, for a change. You look good in white." _Nice save, dipshit. _

Crona looked as shocked as Aless felt by her words.

"Th-thanks," he finally said. "You look nice, too."

"Thanks. I-" She was cut off by Maka, who was standing on th stairs and talking in a loud voice.

"Attention, everyone! Our very own Soul Evans is going to be playing piano!"

"If you're gonna announce it like that," cried Soul, "then I won't play!"

"Nonsense!" shouted Maka, running over to him. "You already agreed. Now sit your butt on that bench and play." Shrugging, Soul started to play a dark, twisted-sounding tune. People started to partner up and dance. Aless turned back to Crona, who was standing there looking helpless.

"Hey," she muttered. "I got no one to dance with, so… do you wanna?" She held out a hand to him.

"B-but I don't know how," he whispered.

"Neither do I. We'll learn together. C'mon. It'll be fun." He took her hand, looking rather nervous, and she led him out onto the dance floor. "Okay, so judging by what everyone else is doing, you put you hands on my waist, and I put my hands on your shoulders, and we sort of rock back and forth." She placed his hands in the right place and reached up around his shoulders. "Damn, you're tall. I have to stand on tiptoe just to reach. Relax your shoulders a bit." Finally she got a grip, and they started to step back and forth.

_This isn't so scary,_ thought Aless. _I actually feel comfortable_. _I don't know if he feels the same, but at least I feel good!_ She felt very good, in fact, almost dizzy with euphoria. _Look at me, Mama! I'm slow-dancing with a boy!_ The song was beautiful, and the melody was almost hypnotizing. After a while, she felt her face flush and her body grow hot. _Calm down, Aless. Don't get all crazy now…_ She looked into Crona's dark eyes and smiled. He drew back a bit.

"What's wrong?"

"Are… are your eyes always like that?"

"Like what?"

"Your pupils. They're tiny. Is that new, o-or did I just not see it before?"

_Tiny pupils. Hot body._ She ran her tongue across her teeth and gasped as her tongue was cut by fangs. _Oh my God. I forgot! It's the new moon! I'm transforming! Oh, shit shit shit!_ She pulled her hands back suddenly. This caused her to overbalance on her tall heels. There was a small cracking sound as her left heel broke, and she crashed into the snack table. A cup of punch spilled on her head.

The whole room was staring now, really staring, and it wasn't her imagination. _No time to be embarrassed._ She tore both shoes off and stood up.

"Aless? What's wrong?"

"Sorry, Crona! But I really have to leave!"

"But-"

"Goodbye!" she said. As she raced away, she added, "The dance was nice!"

* * *

><p>Loping down the alleys, tripping over her own frantic feet, Alessei wondered if she would make it back in time. She could already hear the feverish throbbing that always came when she was going to go under. Her dorm house came into view and she sprinted to the door.<p>

Aless's feet pounded on the hardwood floor as she ran up the stairs and slammed the door to her room. She bit her tongue and felt the metallic taste of blood in her mouth as the demon spines burst through her. _That's the end of that dress,_ she thought miserably.

She gripped the steel bars at the boot of the bed as she collapsed to the floor. Everything was happening so quickly now, her whole body speeding up. If she could just hold on to the bed, maybe she wouldn't have bruises in the morning. Aless's vision clouded with black as the wave crashed over her head.

Flashing images and bits of sound whirled through her consciousness.

"Didn't you know?" asked a laughing ghoul. "I have black blood."

"It'd be stupid…" chirped Rikita.

"That's not proper, Aless," said a spider.

A whirlwind of pain battered her body and she saw red. Knives slashing her hands, her feet, her face. Alessei thrashed and tried to run, only to hit her head and fall again. She shrieked like a banshee.

A spell of calm fell over her.

"That's not proper, Aless," she repeated softly after the voice in her head. She got her vision back for just long enough the see herself careening into the wall. Her back screamed as she fell into the bathtub.

"That's not proper, Aless."

Aless reached up, trying to climb out, only to turn the water on. A cold stream spattered against her face. She giggled.

"That is _most certainly_ not proper, Aless."

The red cloud dissipated, and Aless found herself standing in front of the mirror. She was still in the dress. Blood dripped from wounds on her face and chest. She slapped a hand to her cuts, but it came away dry. She closed her eyes. _Oh, Mama, you'd be so proud of me right now! Did you ever think that your little girl would be going to a ball?_

Aless opened her eyes. Her face was no longer the precious, made-up mask that had gone to the party. In its place was a black, mangled mess of flesh and bone. She slammed a fist into the mirror and it shattered.

"Mama would be so disappointed," she whispered, her voice high and wheedling. "But I'm not Mama's little girl anymore."


	6. Chapter 5

_In this chapter: Crona is confused, Medusa is a psycho bitch, and we all know that I just put this in here so everyone knows when this story takes place._

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**

Chapter 5

At the party, Crona watched Aless bolt out of the room like a firecracker. Soul had stopped playing during the distraction, and people were staring at him. _I hate it when they stare. I don't know how to deal with people when they stare._ He ran out of the room as well, hiding behind the closed door. A few seconds later, Maka appeared next to him.

"What happened to Aless?" she asked.

Crona shrugged. _She must not like me. She must've changed her mind about the dance._ Aless's image flashed through his mind, only her face was suddenly replaced with Medusa's, the way his mother looked when she was disappointed. _"Worthless, worthless child…"_ Crona cringed and tried to shake the picture out of his head.

"Well, come back in. The spilled punch has been cleaned up, and they won't be staring at you anymore. They'll be too busy gossiping about Aless."

For the rest of the night, Crona tried to forget Alessei's mysterious disappearance. But the picture of her face – her real one, not the Medusa-esque vision he'd seen earlier – kept popping up in his head. He tried to replay exactly what had happened before she'd run. Her skin had gotten paler than usual, and her pupils had dilated. When she cried out, he could've sworn he saw fangs. And her body… while they were dancing, her body had become very hot, like she had a fever. _Maybe she just got sick. But the fangs…_

The rest of the night went well, however. At the end of the party, his friends bid him farewell and he started walking home.

The streets of Death City scared him. The austere buildings and fleeting shadows somehow reminded him of too many days locked in the room with Ragnarok, too many days of darkness and pain. But now he was glad to have Ragnarok with him. Even if he was obnoxious.

"Hey Crona! Why can't you cook like Tsubaki?"

"I don't know. I've never tried."

"Well, try sometime! I have to eat, too, you know!"

"N-no you don't. You're my blood. We eat the same things. You just _like_ eating."

They walked in silence for a while. He kept feeling as though he was being watched, but he chalked it up to old paranoia. That is, until he heard footsteps behind him.

Crona froze in his path, shaking. Slowly he turned around, balling his hands into fists. A small girl in a black hooded robe stood behind him. She lowered the hood, revealing the face of Medusa. Even though it was a child's body, it had her face, like some grotesque patchwork creature.

"Lady Medusa!" he cried. He felt his skin breaking out in a cold sweat, and his teeth started chattering. "Wh-what're you doing here?"

"I've missed you, Crona," she purred. Her snake tongue flicked out between her teeth. "I was so worried about you. And I wanted to tell you to keep up your work as a spy."

"S-s-spy? But I'm not-"

"Don't be modest, my dear child. It was a good idea you had."

"But I can't spy on the DWMA! I have friends there!"

"You'll do it for your mother, won't you?"

Crona paused. She _was_ his mother, and besides, if he didn't do it she would hurt him. He was sure of it. He felt the reassuring madness take over him. A small grin spread across his face. After what seemed like an eternity, he nodded.

"I'll do it."


	7. Chapter 6

_In this chapter: Aless fights zombies, Crona knows nothing of the average teenage world, and I grin like the freak I am as I write some fluff._

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**

Chapter 6

Pops and cracks filled the silent room as Alessei forced herself up. Her whole body was mottled black and blue, covered in bruises. _This is not good. Not good at all_. She reached under the torn dress and felt for the cuts she'd seen oozing blood the night before, but felt nothing. _A hallucination? But… it doesn't usually get that bad!_ She moaned, yanked some clothes out of the dresser, and set off to take a hot bath.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Aless," started Rikita. "What happened last night that made you run out? You were doing so good! Why did you leave?"<p>

The pair was sitting on the wall outside the school's entrance before the first bell. Aless was sweating in her heavy clothing, but she had no choice if she wanted to conceal the bruises.

"What do you think happened, Riki?" she hissed. "Didn't you notice anything odd about the sky last night? Because I sure did!"

"Y-you don't mean-"

Aless yanked up the sleeve of her dark green blazer, revealing the blotchy purple-and-blue skin underneath. Riki gasped and covered her mouth.

"New moon, moron. We both forgot." She sighed. "If I can't even remember to check the calendar, how will I be able to become a death scythe?"

"It's not your fault. There was a party, and you had a lot going on. Anybody would forget." _Notice how she doesn't mention that_ she_ was the cause of most of my stress._

"Yeah, I suppose. Yo," she added, hopping off the wall. "School's gonna start soon. C'mon. I don't wanna be late for our extracurricular lesson."

* * *

><p>Riki let an arrow fly at the zombie. The dead man moaned and fell to the ground. Aless felt herself smile within the weapon, baring her fangs.<p>

She was in bow-and-arrow form, and she had never felt freer. Her body felt whole again as another arrow regenerated to replace the one that had just dissolved in the zombie. As a weapon, Aless was a magnificent metal bow, light but sturdy. Spikes like daggers adorned the ends at the top and bottom, so she was even good for close up combat. The whole length of the bow was a black-and-white checkerboard pattern. In this case she was grateful to have such a sturdily built meister, for she herself would never be able to carry a large, heavy bow.

Another zombie was coming up from behind, and Rikita was oblivious.

"Riki! Behind you!"

Her meister spun, prepared to fight.

"Hyaaaah!" She raised the bow above her head and brought the spiked end down on the zombie's head. Aless felt slightly sick satisfaction as the cold, dead blood engulfed her weapon body. But more zombies were approaching. For an extracurricular assignment, this one was rather dangerous.

"There's too many!" she cried. "We need to do a Soul Resonance! It's the only way to take them all out!"

"You're right! Let's go!"

Aless felt her meister's wavelength moving through her body, and she felt herself subconsciously amplifying it. It wasn't even something she though about now, they'd done it so many times at practice. But it had never followed through before. They were taking a huge risk by doing it here. She sent it back to Rikita and they repeated the process, over and over. Finally Riki decided that it was time to strike.

"_Iron Shots!_" she yelled, letting the arrow loose into the sky. It grew and then splintered into dozens of smaller arrows, raining down on the barren field they were standing in. All around them, zombies fell to the ground.

"Kya-hah! Look at em – dropping like flies!" Aless chirped, elated. _It worked! I can't believe it worked!_

"Any more?" asked Rikita, all business. She pointed the bow up and surveyed the field.

"I don't see any. I think we did it!" She jumped out of Riki's hand and morphed back into a human, wincing at the cracking of her bones growing back. It always hurt a little to become human again. She felt tighter, somehow, like her body was being crammed into her skin. Still, she was overjoyed that their attack had worked. They left the field, Aless collecting and swallowing souls as they went.

* * *

><p>The hot water sprayed over Aless's body as she hummed a happy tune. She and Riki had gone back to her place after the assignment was over. Aless still preferred freshening up in her dorm room to the DWMA's public showers that most of the girls went to. She couldn't imagine being naked in front of all those gorgeous girls, with her body.<p>

The faucet squeaked as she turned the water off, satisfied, the sweat and dirt gone. When she walked into the other room, a towel holding up her long black hair and another one around her body, she found Riki sitting on her bed, drawing.

"I still can't believe we did a Soul Resonance!" Alessei cackled. "Wait till I brag about it to everyone else!"

"There won't be much bragging," muttered Rikita. "We're one of the last pairs to get it."

"Oh. Well, wait till I tell everyone and they're all proud of us!" She plopped down on the bed.

"Don't shake the mattress! I'm drawing here!"

"Huh. Whatcha drawing?" She looked over her friend's shoulder and saw a sketch of herself in weapon form. "Hey! That's me! Ooh, I didn't know I was that pretty! I'm all shiny and curvy and shit. What a pretty little bow I am." There was a knock at the door and they both looked up.

"Who's that?" asked Riki. "Did you invite someone over and forget?"

"Now, what's the point of asking that? If I forgot, I wouldn't be able to answer your question. Coming!" she called, somersaulting off the bed.

"Geez, girl! You really have to do somersaults in nothing but a towel?"

"Sorry." She pulled the towel tighter around her body and opened the door a crack, peeking her head into the hall. "Oh, hey Crona. Whassup?"

"Y-you invited me over earlier, remember? You said something about hanging out…"

"Aw, dammit! I totally forgot!"

"Ha! I was right" cried Riki, sounding very pleased with herself. Crona started at her voice, standing ramrod-straight.

"I-is that your meister?" he whispered. "She's the one… she's the one who called me a freak. I'll leave if you want. I-I don't want to cause trouble."

"No, hon. You can stay. She's cool with you now." She pulled her head out of the door and called back, "Ain'tcha, Riki? You're cool with Crona, right?"

"Mm," Rikita mumbled absently. "Don't shout, I'm right here."

"See? She likes you. C'mon in." She opened the door and Crona flinched, his face going red. "What? What's – aw, shit, I'm in my towel, aren't I? I don't see why you of all people would be upset by that. That night when you slept over, you saw everything anyway." She sighed. "Fine, I'll go change. Talk to Riki." She dashed over to the dresser, grabbing a tight shirt and a loose pair of slacks. As she disappeared into the bathroom, she heard Rikita asking Crona what she'd meant by "you saw everything anyway."

Fully clothed, Aless greeted her friend properly.

"You two haven't been formally introduced, have you? I mean, Maka introduced you at the party, but you just kind of ignored each other. Riki, this is Crona. Crona, this is Rikita, my meister." The pair just looked at each other dumbly. "Well, what are you waiting for? Shake hands."

"I'm good," said Riki.

"She scares me," mumbled Crona.

"Shake hands, goddamnit! It's not that hard!"

Rikita held out a hand, a begrudged look on her face, and they shook. Aless smiled, a pleased look on her face.

"So, Crona," she started, "how's your day so far?"

"Oh, um… okay, I guess. H-how are you? I didn't see you in class today."

"Yeah. Riki and I were out on an extracurricular activity. There were zombies and guts and all manner of nasty stuff. But we did a Soul Resonance for the first time! Ain't it great? It was the most amazing feeling. Don't you just love it?"

"I don't know. Whenever I did a Soul Resonance with Ragnarok, it always hurt. But it's nice to feel powerful, I guess."

Ragnarok sprang out of Crona's back, resting his fists upon his meister's head. Rikita jumped back, looking petrified.

"You bet it's nice!" cried Ragnarok. "When I was big, man, the trouble we got into! It was awesome! Beating people up and all. But now I'm puny, and Crona doesn't let me beat anyone up any more. Except him." He boxed Crona's ears, and the boy looked ready to cry.

"Hey! What did I tell you last time? Don't do that." She huffed. "The nerve of this guy, huh, Riki? Riki?" She looked behind her. Rikita was cowering behind the bed. She poked her head up.

"Wh-what is that thing?" she whispered.

"I'm Ragnarok!" the blood weapon proclaimed, pointing to his chest. "I'm Crona's weapon! You know he's the Demon Sword, right? Well, technically I'm the sword, but we're one and the same, right?"

"My blood is black," Crona offered in way of an explanation.

"Yeah, I know you two are the Demon Sword," Rikita muttered, still looking shaken up. "I just didn't know what you looked like, Ragnarok. My apologies."

"Yeah, you better apologize! Or the next time you see me, you're going to get a fist to the face!"

"Stop, Ragnarok," said Crona. "If you do that she'll hate me, and I don't know how to deal with her when she hates me."

"Eh, that fat bitch has no right hating anybody. Listen, you! Don't be hating on my Crona! I'm the only one who gets to do that!"

"F-f-fat?" Rikita stuttered. "Did-did he just call me _fat_?"

"Yeah, you heard me!"

"Ragnarok, _shut up_," Crona hissed. "There's no reason for that. Be nice. I'm sorry, Rikita. Please don't hurt me." He looked genuinely scared of Rikita.

"He called me fat," Riki said softly. She had a faraway look on her face, utterly blindsided by the blood weapon's comment.

"Don't listen to him, Riki. You're not fat," Aless said, trying to comfort her friend. "Ragnarok's just obnoxious like that. He's a horrible… person thing, and you shouldn't listen to him. Isn't that right, Crona?" She gave him a pointed look.

"Oh, Aless is right. He's not really reliable." He was fidgeting like he was considering leaving, but was too scared to move.

"See? You're lovely the way you are." As she offered a comforting smile to her friend, she shot Ragnarok a death glare that could only mean _"I will make your life a living hell"_.

"I don't care," said Rikita said in a blank tone. "I'm leaving." She stood up, brushed herself off, and walked to the door. "Nice work today, Aless," she finally said, and then she disappeared. Both Aless and Crona glared at Ragnarok.

"Now what was that?" cried Aless. "I just got her to like Crona, and then you barge in with your bullshit! I'll throttle you!" She took a swing at Ragnarok, who ducked inside his meister's body with a chuckle. The blow landed on air. Aless huffed.

"I'm sorry, Aless," said Crona. "I really didn't want that to happen." He sighed. "She really hates me, doesn't she?"

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you anymore. She just hates your son of a bitch weapon." She fell back on the bed and moaned. "Geez, this makes things so complicated. I want to be friends with you, and I want to be friends with her. I _have_ to be friends with her, actually. But now… I don't know what's going to happen." She gave him a hopeless look. "Can I have a hug?" He nodded, and Alessei wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace that reminded her of how she'd felt when they were dancing. _Aw, shit. I still have to clear that up. _That's_ why I invited him over._ "Thanks, I needed that."

They sat for a few moments on the edge of the bed, tension crackling. Eventually, Crona got up the guts to speak.

"So why did you invite me over?" he asked. "I mean… that came out wrong… what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh! Um… I actually wanted to apologize for what happened at the party. It's just…"

"You changed your mind about the dance, right? That's why you left? Because you didn't want to dance with me?"

Aless jumped at this, startled by his words. She tried to laugh it off, finding that she was tongue-tied. _Why can't you talk to this boy? What's wrong with you?_

"Ah…um… that's not it at all!" she cried. "Really, the opposite, actually. I really wanted to keep dancing with you. I had to leave because, um… well, you know how I told you about me turning into a demon because of demon dust?" He nodded. "Well, it happens twice a month. On the new moon and the full moon, I get… sick. That's the word. Sick. My body goes into demon mode. My body changes, like, spines come out of my back. That's why my eyes were like that, and I dunno if you noticed, but my skin got really hot. And when I'm like that, I can't put my fangs in. But it's not just that. I have… hallucinations." She found that the word brought tears to her eyes. _I don't want to be crazy. _"And it was a new moon, but I forgot. So when I started turning, I had to leave."

Crona just kept nodding, trying to take it all in.

"You get it now?"

"Yeah."

"Still wanna be my friend?"

"Yeah."

"Good." She gave a weak smile even as a hot tear dripped down her cheek. "Look, Crona, I… I haven't really told anybody about that except Rikita, so, if you could keep it on the down low, that'd be great."

"Of course."

"And also, I'm really sorry if you thought I didn't want to dance with you. That couldn't be further from the truth."

"I just thought-" He swallowed, nervous. "It… kinda looked like Rikita was dragging you over to me, like you didn't want to come over. And that look she gave you, like she was telling you to dance with me. I thought that maybe it was a dare or something, and you didn't want to do it."

"Aw, no. That's not it. She had to drag me over because I was actually nervous to talk to you." At his look of shock, she laughed. "Yeah, it seems crazy now, but I was afraid you'd say no. I really, truly wanted to. It just wasn't possible."

"Nervous? W-why would you be n-nervous?" Now he was getting flustered, and he was stumbling over his words, the stutter in his voice more pronounced.

_You're really going to make me say it out loud?_ Alessei bit her lip. _Ah, what the hell. I got nothing to lose._

"Because I hate rejection, and from my experience, I'm usually rejected when I tell someone I like them. What? You think I dance with just anyone? Nah, man, in my book asking you to dance is the same as putting up a billboard with 'I Like You' in big, bold letters. So you see why that felt a little risky, even for me. Heh heh. And sure enough, here I am, blabbering on and making a fool of myself. So that little stunt was bound to catch up to me, I guess." She blinked up at him, another tear dripping down her face. He gave her a blank stare. "I have quite the track record for rejection, so don't worry. I'm pretty numb to it by now. But I would like it if you would go out with me."

Crona sat on the bed, frozen in shock. It was obvious that he wasn't expecting this. _Watch, he's gonna get up and leave any moment now. Better prepare yourself for the inevitable blow. All that bullshit about being numb to rejection. Such a lie._ But he didn't stand up. Instead, he opened his mouth, gasping for words. Aless stared at him testily. _Not a good time to get shy._

"Aless?" Crona asked in a small voice.

"Yes?"

"Um… what does 'go out' mean?"

Aless's jaw dropped. _He… he has no clue what I'm talking about. That's insane. "Sheltered child" indeed…_

"Um, going out is another way to say dating."

"Like… a relationship?"

"Yes. Now you're getting it. So that whole speech made no sense to you?" He shook his head. "Wow. I feel like an idiot. Well, since you apparently know what a relationship is, here's the gist of it. I want to be in a relationship with you. Do you want to be in a relationship with me?" _There. Now will I get an answer?_

"Oh, uh… I mean, I-I've never done anything like that before…" His face was getting red, and his voice was shaking. "B-b-but you've been really nice to me… and I _do_ feel different about you than I do about other girls…"

"Really?" Aless perked up at that. _Hold on to hope…_ "How do you feel about me?"

"I like you a lot. W-when I think about you, I get sort of dizzy, and I get this weird feeling in my stomach… and it kinda hurts, but I sort of like it. If that makes sense…"

"Sounds like you have a crush on me too," Aless smiled. "So whaddaya say? Will you be my boyfriend?" She reached out a small hand to him.

"O-okay." Still tentative, he put his hand on hers. She squeezed it, and put her head on his shoulder. Crona started, but then relaxed a bit. Aless didn't have to look to know he was smiling.


	8. Chapter 7

_In this chapter: Aless makes no appearance, Maka is overprotective, and Medusa is a bitch _even when she's not actually there. _Now that takes talent._

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**

Chapter 7

Maka and Crona perched on the wall overlooking Death City. The wall was on the edge of the wooded practice area, where the rest of their friends were eating lunch. Though it was a beautiful day, Crona couldn't help but feel miserable when he looked at his friends' smiling faces. _I've betrayed them_.

He also couldn't help thinking about how Aless had been the night before. He'd been so shocked and so happy when he learned that she returned his feelings. But now the memory just upset him. _That's just one more person I'm hurting_.

Maka gave him a quizzical look. She tapped him on the shoulder, jolting him out of the unpleasant reverie.

"Huh?"

"You were daydreaming, silly," Maka giggled. "What's on your mind?"

_Quick! Think of something!_ He glanced around nervously.

"Clouds," he blurted.

"Clouds?"

"Yeah. I was thinking about how they're all different shapes and stuff…" He trailed off, scolding himself inwardly for letting his mind drift. _You're so stupid._

"Yeah, I guess the clouds are pretty today," chirped Maka. She twiddled her thumbs, suddenly nervous. "Hey, Crona? What's up with you and Aless?"

Crona drew in a sharp breath, thoughts going a mile a minute. _How could she know about last night? Did Aless tell her without telling me? No, Aless wouldn't do that… but how?_ He was careful choosing his next words.

"Um, Aless is… a good friend. She's really nice, and patient and understanding, so I like her." He realized the truth of his words as he was speaking them. After all, wasn't that why he liked Maka, too?

"Oh. Because I've been noticing that you spend a lot of time with her lately. I just don't want you to fall into the wrong crowd."

"Th-the wrong crowd? What's wrong with Aless?"

"Well, she used to be a drug addict. But between you and me, I don't think she's totally clean. And she's just a little… off. She just seems like a troublemaker."

_She doesn't betray her school. Now _that's_ a troublemaker._

"Well, she hasn't caused trouble so far," he said, shocking himself with his boldness. "And I already knew that she used to be… a demon duster. That's kind of why I like her, I think. I can talk to her about that stuff."

"You can talk to me, too," whispered Maka.

"But you don't really understand. You're great at listening, and I appreciate everything you've done for me. You're wonderful, Maka. But Aless has a lot of the same problems I do." _And she _likes_ me_. "I'm sure that if she turned out to be trouble, I could get out of it. So can we, um, drop the subject?"

Maka paused, then nodded.

"Alright. But if she gets bad…"

"I know. I'll stay away." He slid off the wall and landed on the packed dirt with a small _thump_. "I'm going back to my room. I feel sick."

"Oh. Alright. I hope you feel better!"

* * *

><p>As he walked, Crona felt a sick, churning feeling in his stomach. He didn't have the energy for both the Medusa situation <em>and<em> Maka/Aless struggles.

"You're hurting them, you know," came Medusa's voice. Crona jumped, eyes darting back and forth. He felt the familiar fear creep over him.

"Wh-where are you?" he whispered.

"Once your work here is done, you must come back to me," came the voice from a different direction.

"I… I won't come back to you. Never."

"You're only hurting them by staying here."

He felt her gaze drilling into his back and spun around, finally finding his mother floating cross-legged above the stone floor. Usually he was grateful for the solitude his room's location brought, but now the underground tunnels scared him. _And no one can hear you scream._

Freezing in his path, he stared at the ground, unable to lock gazes with the witch who'd tortured him for years. But there was something different about her. She was in her old, adult body, not her new child form. _It's not real_, he decided, bolting down the hall.

"You can't hide, dear child."

_It's not real._

"I will come for you."

_It's not real._

"You belong to me," the voice echoed in his mind.

"_Get out of my head!"_ Crona shrieked, slamming the door of his room. He grabbed a pillow and curled up facing the corner.

"It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real," he told himself. But somehow that possibility seemed even worse. If he'd seen something that wasn't real, what did that say about him?

_Am I losing my mind?_

"It's already lost," his mother's voice told him.


	9. Chapter 8

_In this chapter: I fail at romance writing, Crona fesses up, and Aless goes just a wee bit madcakes._

_**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**_

Chapter 8

"Urrrgh!" groaned Aless. "I am so pissed right now, Riki, you do not even know-"

"Language, Aless." Rikita blew on her nails. Today they were painted green with purple diamonds. Aless envied her friend's artist's hand, and it seemed like Riki was rubbing it in by painting her nails Aless's favorite colors. _Just one more reason to be pissed off._

Aless sat back in her chair, fuming.

"Why the hell do they get to fight for the Brew while we're stuck here? It's just not fair! I can fight as good as any of them!"

"No, you can't. If you could, we'd be a two-star team by now. Neither of us is that advanced, and you know it." She waved her hand around for a few seconds, then started on her other hand. They were in her apartment, a stark contrast to Aless's drab dorm. Rikita was a fan of tranquil, comfortable decorating, and she had outfitted her apartment as she saw fit. Her parents could afford it, after all. Right now she was sitting on a large beanbag chair, her feet propped up on colorful sea glass-encrusted coffee table. _Look who's talking about manners. _

"C'mon! I'm strong! I'd beat that Arachne to a pulp, I would!" She threw a few punches in the air, just to demonstrate. "I mean, why is Black*Star even there? He's got no strategy, he's just dumb muscle!"

"Muscle is what they need, Aless. And it's what we don't have." Closing the bottle of nail polish and setting it on the table, she sprawled out on the beanbag chair. "Relax. You were only enrolled here a few weeks ago. I'm sure that by the time the next threat of New World Order comes around, you'll be a death scythe, and you'll get plenty of action. Besides, at least we get a day off while Dr. Stein and Ms. Marie and all the others are off fighting.

"Oh, nonsense. It's not a day off if I spend the whole time angry."

"Exactly. So get happy." She jumped up and lifted the corners of Aless's mouth with her fingers. "Smiiiiillle, Aless!"

"Eeek, get away! I don't want nail polish on my face!" She gave Rikita a halfhearted slap and sighed. "I know I should be happy and all, but I just feel left out. You don't get it. I've always been the odd one out, my whole life, and I don't intend on it happening here!" She stood up, defiant, but stopped. The room had started spinning. Aless collapsed to the floor, deaf to Riki's cries of horror.

"Aless! Aless, are you alright? Please get up!" She shook her friend by the shoulders. "You _have_ to get up, Aless!"

"Aless doesn't live here anymore," she whispered, a small smirk spreading on her face. "I'm not your little girl anymore, Mama."

"Mama? Aless, what are you talking about?" The girl was unresponsive. Rikita slapped her friend hard in the face, and Aless's body broke into a spasm. "Alessei Giles! _Wake up!_" Rikita felt fear now, cold, hard fear. _Aless isn't supposed to go demon today! What's going on?_ But if the girl was indeed going demon, who knew what she was capable of? Rikita had never seen the process, but she knew that it required Aless to refurnish her room with unbreakable objects. And Aless had told her that when she felt herself slipping away, she always locked the door to her room. _"I can't save myself, but I can save others…"_

Spines shot out of Alessei's back, slicing Riki's hand open. She dropped the girl to the carpet, screaming. The black, curved spines looked hard and reptilian. They were Alessei's "demon sign". The transformation always showed itself somewhere on the body, and in this case, it manifested in sharp, scythe-like spines. Rikita ran to the bathroom, her mind frantic, searching for a bandage. She found the gauze and began to wrap it around her hand.

"You're not my Mama."

Rikita froze and turned to the bathroom door. Aless had risen and was standing outside, a twisted expression on her face. Her lips were turned into a demonic smile, and her hands were balled into fists. But her eyes didn't match the rest of her body. They seemed almost sad. Rikita rounded up every shred of courage she had to say,

"And you're not Aless. Bring back my Aless!"

"Aless doesn't live here anymore," the girl repeated, in a voice like breaking glass. "I live here now. What a lovely body this is. So deserving of a kishin."

Rikita's jaw dropped.

"K-k-k-kishin?" she whispered.

"Tsk tsk," Alessei - no, Alessei's _body _– muttered. "Stuttering. That's not proper, Aless," It raised a small fist, swinging at thin air. Her arms waved like those of an octopus, uncontrolled and flailing. They hit the wall and the door frame with surprisingly loud _wham_s. _She'll hurt herself if she goes on like this!_

"Hyaaaahh!" Rikita let out a battle cry as she tackled her possessed friend. Being much larger than Aless, she quickly took the thrashing girl to the ground. She reached onto the coffee table, groping for something to use as a weapon. Her hand closed around a glass paperweight and she brought it down on her friend's head. _I'm so sorry, Aless._ The girl's body instantly went limp.

Rikita sat up, huffing and puffing, tear drying on her face. Her weapon lay unconscious. Riki sat back and took a deep breath.

_What just happened? This wasn't supposed to happen until the full moon. Is her condition getting worse?_ Groaning, she hoisted Aless's body onto her back and began to carry her to the DWMA Dispensary for medical help.

* * *

><p>"Well, I don't know much about demon blood," muttered Mrs. Chazette, the substitute nurse. The woman was old, half deaf and nearly blind. Rikita cursed her luck. <em>This just had to happen when Naigus is out. Normally, she'd have a look at it, but she's out fighting.<em>

"Isn't there something you can do?" she snapped. "If you can't even clean her cuts, why are you a nurse?"

"Dear, these old hands aren't meant to clean cuts. And I'm just a substitute. I'm sure that when your regular nurse is back, she'll do something. Until then, your friend is welcome to stay here. I'll call you if anything changes."

Steaming mad, Rikita stormed out of the room. As she clomped down the halls of DWMA, she noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye. As she spun, the figure ducked behind a staircase.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

The shape stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself to be Crona. His face was guilt-stricken, with wide, owlish eyes. Angry as she was at him, she was glad it wasn't someone more threatening. _Though without my weapon, I'm useless…_

"You. What are you doing here?"

"I, um, I left one of my books in Mr. Sid's classroom, so I came to get it."

"And where is it?" She wasn't entirely trusting of the odd boy, and it made sense to act suspicious when he was skulking in the shadows.

Ragnarok popped out of Crona's back, glaring. Riki drew in a sharp breath. _That little brat! Ugh!_

"It wasn't there," he snapped. "One of these no good preps probably stole it. Why are _you _here, anyway?"

"If you must know," she said, drawing herself up, "I came to drop off Aless at the nurse. She went demon for no reason. I had to knock her out, she was so manic."

"Is she okay?" asked Crona, wringing his hands.

"What do you think? That little old lady in there is no help, so she's still passed out on the bed. Hey, you've got demon blood. Why don't you go in there and take a look at her? Maybe you'll know how to fix her." She spun on her heel and walked away.

* * *

><p>"I still don't understand why we have to see her," whined Ragnarok.<p>

"She's my friend," said Crona. "And if she's sick, I owe it to her to visit her. Besides, I _want_ to see her."

"Oooh, hoping that you'll get some action this time?"

Face coloring, his meister motioned for him to be quiet.

"Will you keep it down? Don't say things like that so loud. Now go away." Ragnarok disappeared. They arrived at the nurse's office and went in.

"Yes, dear? What do you need?" asked the old nurse.

"I-I just wanted to visit my friend. I was told she was here… she's small, and she's got black hair. Does that sound familiar?"

"Oh, yes. She's in that bed behind the curtain." She pointed with one shaking, bony finger.

Behind the curtain lay Aless. She was paler than usual, like she'd been that night at the party, and looked positively dead. Her lips were parted, as if she were about to speak, but no words came out. Crona sat on the chair beside the bed.

"Aless?" he whispered. "Are you okay?" There was no response from the girl. "P-please wake up."

The girl made a low mumbling noise and shifted around a bit. Finally, her eyes lazily cracked open.

"Whaa?" she slurred. "What're ya doing here? Where am I?"

"You're in the nurse's office. I saw Rikita in the hallway and she said she dropped you off here because you… had an episode."

"Aw, geez." She was rubbing her eyes now, regaining consciousness. "I went all demon-cuckoo didn't I?"

"Um… yeah, I-I think so, she didn't tell me much. How do you feel?"

She laughed without humor.

"In truth? Like my body's been through a wood chipper. Is Riki here? It'd be nice to find out what happened."

"No, she was leaving when I saw her. Going back to her house, I think. Maybe the nurse can call her, though."

"I'd like that."

As Crona left her side to request this from the nurse, he couldn't help but feel a bit downtrodden that Aless would rather question her meister instead of talk to him. _Of course, I shouldn't be blaming her. I'd want to know about the episode, too, if I were her. It's not like you're more important than that, so why would she rather talk to you?_

After Rikita came back and told them both the details of the incident, she insisted that Aless leave the nurse's office for the safety of either her or Riki's homes.

"Why can't I just stay here?" moaned Aless. "My bones are jarred and my joints feel crushed and my whole body's just discombobulated. Can't I just sleep?"

"Between you and me," whispered Riki, "I don't have much confidence in this substitute's skills. The old woman can barely tell the difference between painkillers and poison. I think it'd be safer for you in your own room, is all."

"And how do you propose I get up there? It's not like I can walk."

"We'll just have to carry you. Won't we, Crona?" He gave a quick nod, a little shocked that she'd used his name and not a more derogatory word. "Right, then. Let's get you up." She bent down and placed one of Aless's arms around her shoulders, and Crona did the same. Aless was so light, he barely felt her weight on his body. _Then again, she _is_ tiny. I don't know why I'm shocked._

They carried Aless to her room in silence, with the exception of Rikita occasionally barking out directions ("Now it's a turn to the left." "Could you not put all her weight on me?" "Don't drop her, you idiot!"). After setting the girl down on her bed, her meister asked if there was anything else they could do.

"Not really. Riki, you can go home. I gotta talk to Crona about something."

A strange expression crossed Rikita's face, started with what looked like a snarl, then turning into a forced smile.

"Sure. Feel better, Aless." With a final stony glance at Crona, she left. Aless made a low, pained noise.

"That girl. Honestly, for someone who preaches to me about being proper, she doesn't have very good manners, does she? Sit down." She rubbed her temples, frowning. "Geez, I've got a headache from hell. I can't believe I did that, can you? I'm not usually that violent when I go all demonic."

Crona studied her. Though he wasn't good at reading people, it didn't seem like she was on the verge of telling him anything important.

"Um, Aless? You… you said you had to talk to me about something?"

"Nah, that was a lie. I just wanted to be with you alone."

"Why?"

She gave him a quizzical look.

"Because we're dating, silly. Because I like you a lot. And also… because I wanted to do this."

Before he knew what was happening, Aless leaned up and kissed him, full on the mouth. She held her lips there for a few seconds, before backing away and smiling. He just looked at her, dumbfounded. Ragnarok burst out of his back.

"See, Crona? I told you you were going to get some action!"

Aless laughed.

"Calm down, Ragnarok, it was just a kiss."

"Yeah, his _first_ kiss. Do you know how frustrating it is being around so many pretty girls and having this one," –he pointed at his meister – "not do a thing about it? Thank god you made the first move, or this never would've gone anywhere!"

"Hey, now," Aless chided. "Don't be obnoxious. Crona's shy. He shouldn't have to make the first move." As Ragnarok disappeared, she shook her head. "I don't know how you deal with that 24/7. Anyway," she added with a kind smile, "what did you think?"

Crona blushed madly, fidgeting a little and unable to look her in the eye.

"I, um… I liked it. You have soft lips."

"Yay! I liked it, too. Very much." She met his gaze, and he saw nothing but affection in her eyes. It was that that gave him the courage to speak up.

"Aless? Can I ask you something?"

"I'm over the moon right now, so you can ask me anything and I'll probably just smile and nod. Go for it."

"Are you good at keeping secrets?"

"Any secret but my own, yeah. I am notoriously bad at keeping secrets about myself. Why? Something on your mind?"

"Well… what would it take for you to hate me?"

"Now how can I answer that? It all depends. Whatever you're thinking of, it can't be that bad. You can tell me."

Crona gulped. Now there was no getting out of it. _Do or die_.

"You swear you won't tell anyone?"

"Cross my heart." Even Aless was starting to notice the change in the mood of the room. Her breathing was slow and measured, hand tightening around his.

"I-I betrayed the DWMA to Medusa." Aless made a hissing noise as she sucked in her breath. "I didn't want to! B-b-but the night of the party, she came up to me when I was walking home, and I was just so scared, Aless, I said I'd help her. And I slipped a bug into Ms. Marie's tea, to spy on her and Dr. Stein. And she never noticed! She trusted me… she was so stupid to trust me…"

Aless stared at the floor, not meeting his eyes.

"She scared you into it, huh?" she whispered. "You didn't want to do it, did you?" He shook his head. "So it's not really your fault, yeah? Medusa's just a big bully. I don't blame you. I'd be scared, too." She looked at him. "Maybe it's because I've never really followed rules, or maybe it's because I haven't been at DWMA for long, but I forgive you. Seeing as I'd probably do the same thing in your position. Does anyone else know?"

"No. You're the only person I've told."

"You might want to keep it that way. But you also might want to stop cooperating with Medusa. This can't go on forever. Okay?"

Crona nodded, silent.

"Good. Now I'm tired, so what do you say we get some rest? You sleeping here or are you leaving?"

"Wait. You still want to… to be with me?"

"Of course!"

"But why?"

Alessei pursed her lips, thinking hard.

"Well, I already said that I forgive you. Compared to the screwed-up boyfriends I've had in the past, this is nothing." _If only you knew, _she thought. "And besides, I have a good feeling about you. I trust you to make the right decision when the time comes." She kissed him again, and his heart fluttered. "So I ask again: are you sleeping here?"

"If that's okay with you. I don't like walking home in the dark."


	10. Chapter 9

_In this chapter: Ox Ford is a dumbass, Aless gets physical, and Crona... meh, he's just Crona._

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**

Chapter 9

"How do you feel today?" asked Rikita. "Any pain? Confusion? Do you think it'll happen again?"

"Calm down, girl. I'm fine. More than fine, actually." She recounted the events of the night before to her friend, leaving out the part about the betrayal. "Looks like I have myself a boyfriend. Aren'tcha proud of me?"

"Mm. I'd be more proud if you put that much energy into your homework."

"Oh, calm down. I do good in class. I'm no Maka Albarn, but at least I'm well-rounded!"

They were sitting in Battle Techniques, Ms. Marie's class. The blonde death scythe was telling them about the events of the battle.

"As you have probably heard, the Brew was stolen by Arachnophobia. While we have suffered a great defeat, it's important that we keep our morale up. I suspect that we'll need all the help we can get in the coming weeks."

After that day's lesson, Aless gathered up her books and waved goodbye to Riki. But as she was leaving class, she was ambushed.

"Alessei! Hey, Aless?"

She stopped in her tracks, setting her shoulders. _Now what the hell does Ox Ford want to talk to me about?_ Turning around, she forced a smile.

"Yes, Ox? Is something wrong?"

"Aless, from the first day we met, I've thought you were beautiful. I've seen you in practice. You're a great fighter, and judging by what I see of you in Battle Tech and Biology, you're almost as brilliant as me. Almost. So, um, what I wanted to ask…" The bespectacled meister was sweating now, shifting his weight from his toes to his heels. "Um, I wanted to know if you would like to go on a date with me?"

Aless blinked at him, dumbfounded. _Why would the smartest boy in school want to go on a date with me? Is he nuts? Oh well. The truth hurts, but I should be honest._ She cleared her throat.

"Well, Ox, I'm very flattered by your offer, but I am actually seeing someone, so I'll have to say-"

"Are you kidding? Who is it? Is he smarter than me? No, that's impossible," he muttered to himself. "Who is this guy?"

Aless winced.

"Well, I'm not sure how public he wants the relationship to be-"

"I'll prove myself to you! I'll beat in him a battle! A battle of wits, perhaps, or a good old-fashioned fight! Just give me a chance!"

"Look, I'm sorry Ox, but I said no. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to lunch." She waved him off and sprinted down the hall, ignoring his calls. _As if I'd ever date him anyway. He's so stuck-up._

* * *

><p>Aless slipped through the crowd into the set her books down at a lunch table and joined Rikita in the snack line.<p>

"Hey, partner. Why are you so late?"

"You are not going to believe this, Riki," Aless laughed. "Guess who just asked me out? Ox Ford!" Her friend giggled. "I know! Is he really that convinced of his own greatness that-" Rikita's chuckling stopped as she looked at something behind Aless. "What? What's up?"

"It looks like you've been followed."

Bracing herself, Aless turned around and saw Ox striding towards them.

"Aless! I wasn't done talking to you! I demand to know who beat me to your courtship!"

Alessei took a step towards him, grabbed him by the collar and yanked him down to her height. She bared her teeth.

"It's none of your business," she growled, "so go away. It was nice of you to ask me out, but no means no, and I'm not jeopardizing _my_ relationship just for a date with the almighty Ox. Now please leave."

"Only if you tell me who you're dating."

"No. I don't need you harassing him as well. Now get."

"But-"

"I told you to leave!" Aless elbowed him in the chest, sending him tumbling into the crowd of hungry students. As he stood, he grimaced.

"So that's how it is, huh?" he said. "And here I thought you were worthy of my affection. For once, I was wrong. You're just like everyone says: a common little street rat!" Brushing himself off, he stormed away. Aless was conscious of the stares of her peers, and tried to blend back into the crowd, but by shoving Ox, she may as well have put a blinking neon sign on her head screaming "LOOK AT ME!". So she settled for trying to hide behind Rikita. Her friend put a protective arm around her as they bought their lunch, and didn't remove it until they sat down. Even then, people were staring and whispering.

At one point, a girl named Lissy came up to the table. Lissy was friends with Rikita, and was thus Aless's friend by association. She was a girl of average looks, but superior intellect. She sat down next to Aless.

"Aless, are you alright? I heard that creep Ox was coming on to you. But from the rumors, you took pretty good care of yourself. What happened?"

"The bastard asked me on a date and refused to take no for an answer. He kept bugging me to tell him who my boyfriend was, so I sort of pushed him. I didn't mean to shove him that hard, but I guess I didn't know my own strength."

"Please. You just did what nearly everyone in the school has wanted to do since he enrolled here." She paused to take a sip of her fruit smoothie. "But you got a boyfriend now? Good for you. Is it supposed to be secret?"

"Well," sighed Aless, "now that Ox made such a big deal, I don't think I have much of a choice on that matter, you know. If I can find him, I'll - oh, there he is. _Yo!_" she called. Crona made his way over from across the cafeteria, ducking in between people and somehow managing to look very small and scared in the crowd of whispering students. He stood next to Aless, but didn't sit down.

"Hi, Aless. Why's everyone talking about you?"

"Long story short, Ox Ford asked me out. Don't worry, I said no," she added at his look of horror. "I just said it in a more… physical way."

"Yeah, people are saying that you punched him out."

"Oh, Lord, I did not punch him out! I elbowed him to the side! Geez, if people are going to talk about me, they may as well get it right. Anyways," she said quietly, "the whole thing happened because he asked who my boyfriend was and I wouldn't tell him. Are we going public?"

"Um, yeah, I guess… if you want, that's okay."

"Good." She turned back to Lissy and smiled sweetly. "Lissy, this is my boyfriend, Crona."

"Nice to meet you, Crona. But I actually have to get back to my table. I just wanted to check up on you. See ya!" She grabbed her stuff and left. Aless motioned for Crona to sit in the vacant seat, and, reluctantly, he did.

"Look at the happy couple," Rikita said drily. "Although neither one of you looks very happy. Aless is pissed because people are talking about her. I don't know what his problem is."

"Oh, hush," said Aless. "Don't be rude, Riki. For someone who preaches to me about manners, you certainly don't have them yourself."

"I'm just sad," Crona muttered. "And I don't know why."

"One of those days, huh? Don't worry, I feel like that sometimes, too. It's normal." Aless put an arm around him. "But you're gonna get through it. I promise."


	11. Chapter 10

_In this chapter: Maka is still overprotective, Crona goes batshit crazy, and I get a break from writing the obnoxiousness that is Aless._

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**

Chapter 10

"Crona. Can I talk to you?" asked Maka. She had her hands on her hips and was definitely not her usual smiling self. And for once, Crona knew the reason for his friend's emotions.

"S-sure."

They were standing in the hall after the last bell, and started walking toward the main entrance of DWMA. Kid was supposed to be having another party that night, but Crona didn't think he'd be going, even though he was invited.

"I heard the craziest rumor today," Maka laughed, slightly hysterically. "People are saying that you and Alessei are going out. Isn't that funny?"

"Heh. Yeah. Funny." He gulped and averted his gaze.

"Yeah. It's funny 'cause it's not true, right?"

"Erm… actually it is true. Kind of. I-in a way."

Maka took a deep breath.

"In what kind of way, Crona? I told you that Aless was a bit off, so you asked her out?"

"Actually, s-she asked me out." He was truly afraid of Maka now. He'd seen what she could do when she was angry. He only hoped that his black blood would protect him from a Maka Chop.

"And you said yes."

"Yeah."

Now Maka stopped and turned to face him.

"Why did you say yes, Crona? She's only going to hurt you. It's probably best for you to get accustomed to the school before you go looking for love. I mean, you still get anxious walking into the cafeteria! I can't imagine that it would be easy for you to be in a relationship right now."

Crona looked at his friend's smoldering eyes. She _was_ genuinely concerned for him. But she had no reason to be.

"I said yes because I wanted to, Maka. Aless is a sweet girl, and I really think you're wrong about her."

"But you don't know that! You only met her a few weeks ago. I can just imagine that little street punk trying to take advantage of you."

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" he asked, taken aback.

"She obviously wants something out of this. I don't know what it is, but she's going to use your shyness against you, and by the time you realize that what she's doing is wrong, it'll be too late."

"What could I possibly have that she wants? It's not like I could help her cheat on tests or give her drugs or anything."

"I actually had something else in mind." Finally it clicked in Crona's head. _What, she thinks Aless is going to… molest me, or something? Is she crazy?_

"Maka, Aless would never do that. She's a wonderful girl. Why can't you see that?"

Maka crossed her arms and turned away.

"I'm sorry, Crona," she said. "But I just want to help you. We've all been working so hard to help you get accustomed to DWMA. I'm just afraid that if you have to deal with Aless's madness, your own might come back. It's a reasonable concern and you know it."

_So that's why she's upset. Not only does she just not like Aless, but she's scared for me. _Crona tried to make words come out of his mouth, but there was silence. _What's wrong? Just tell her what you think! Tell her the truth!_ He forced himself to swallow the fear.

"It never left," he whispered. "The madness. It never left, so how can it come back?" He glanced around and felt sick. The walls were crawling, rippling like a concrete pond. And he could've sworn that he saw… eyes? Crona turned on his heel and started walking.

"Crona? Come back!"

"I'm sorry, Maka, I really have to get back to my room."

* * *

><p>The eyes on the walls blinked steadily at him. Asura's eyes, as Medusa had told him once. Knowing what they were only made it worse. It showed that this wasn't any common-grade mental illness. It was industrial-strength madness, from the king of fear himself. <em>They told me I'd get better when I came here. Why don't I feel better? Why do I feel worse?<em>

Crona climbed off his bed and stared at the undulating stone walls. He reached out with a trembling hand, touched one of the eyes. It wasn't slimy, like it looked. Felt more like stone than anything else. But it was there, he knew it. This felt too real to be a hallucination. _But walls with eyes? That's impossible. No. Unless… unless Asura's watching me. Watching over me. Like some guardian devil. What if I just surrender to it? Fighting the madness only hurts._ Tears poured down his face_. It hurts so much! Why does it hurt so much to try to be normal? What's wrong with me? I'm defective. That's what it is. They put me together wrong. As if I didn't know that already… The eyes are glaring now. What did I do wrong?_

He knew why it hurt so much. Living a lie always hurt.

Drawing back one shaking fist, he punched the glaring wall as hard as he could. A few cracks appeared, but these walls were strong. This was a prison after all. _They tell me I'm normal. Then why do they have to keep me down here?_ He stared at the little black dots forming on his knuckles, a stark contrast to the pallor of his skin. But the pain was good. It was new, and the dizziness that always accompanies the sight of your own blood felt good. _So this is why Aless cuts herself._

Crona drew back from the wall, holding his head. _No. I can't let this happen. I have to leave. Gotta get out of here._ He looked out the high, barred window at the dimming sky. He knew that he couldn't get through the city at night. He'd die. He'd kill himself. _Tomorrow._

Crona curled up in the corner and buried his face in the pillow, the loneliness comforting him like the mother he'd never had.


	12. Chapter 11

_In this chapter: Aless is shockingly kind, Crona is not-so-shockingly... different, and I make Medusa even worse than she is in the series._

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Soul Eater.**

Chapter 11

"Hurry up, I wanna get back to class," Aless mumbled to Naigus. She was in the nurse's office getting her physical, and didn't want to miss any more of Battle Tech. _Gotta practice more. Gotta get strong_.

"It won't take long," the nurse reassured her, stepping back from the scale where Aless stood. "Four-foot-ten and eighty-seven pounds? Are you sure you're eating enough, dear?"

"Oh, I'm stuck like this, Ms. Naigus. Using too much demon dust gives you a very high metabolism, you know."

She hated to be snarky to the kindly nurse, but she hated it when people commented on her weight. It was her biggest insecurity. _My height, I can deal with. My pale skin, I can deal with. But my bones jutting out and my legs toothpick thin? I don't know how to deal with that._ She chuckled to herself. _I sound like Crona_. Then she realized that she hadn't seen the skittish boy that day. Usually he sat next to her in Dr. Stein's class, but today the spot next to her was empty. _He must be sick. I hope it's nothing bad. I'll stop by his room after school._

The nurse didn't press the issue. She took Aless's blood pressure, checked her vision and hearing, and sent the girl on her way.

By the time she got back to Battle Tech, the other students were already wrapping up. _Damn. I hardly go in any practice today! I'll have to work out after school._ She glanced over at Black*Star, who was showing off his strength, and Kid, who was practicing fighting stances. Their friends were laughing and cheering them on. _Why can't you be more like them?_ she scolded herself. _Useless weakling. You deserve to bleed. You deserve to feel the blood seeping through the razor cuts. _She sighed. Working out, cutting, visiting Crona. And she wouldn't be able to sleep without a warm bath, of course. It would be a long night.

* * *

><p>"Here's the room. Good luck."<p>

"Thanks, Mr. Sid," Aless told the friendly zombie. She'd had to be led to Crona's room.

"No problem. I'm always good with directions. That's the type of man I was." He walked away.

Alessei poked her head into the dank cell. It was musty down in the prison tunnels, and she'd seen too many rats for her liking.

"Crona?" she called.

"H-hi." Crona was curled up on his bed, looking very shocked and a little worried to see her. "What… what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, silly. I was worried when you weren't in class. Are you sick?" She stepped in and closed the door behind her. Crona flinched.

"I, um, not really," he confessed. "Aless… I ran away."

"You _what_?"

"I couldn't deal with it! The guilt, the pain. And Maka was so mad at me yesterday. I just gave up."

Aless sat beside him on the bed.

"But you came back. Why?"

"Maka and Soul found me. They convinced me to come back. They said that I should stop beating myself up and that the betrayal thing wasn't my fault."

"Wait, you told them?" He nodded. "And they weren't upset? That's great. Stick with them. They're good friends." She paused. "You know, if you'd just told me, I would've helped you. You can always talk to me. I want you to be happy."

"Why? You have nothing to gain by helping me."

"Because I like you, Crona. And when you like someone a lot, you're happy to help them, even if you have nothing to gain."

Crona studied her, trying to figure out her logic.

"…I'm sorry, but you're stupid for wanting to help me."

Aless laughed. The words were so honest, and so true, that she had to.

"Yeah, don't I know it. But I've done so many stupid things in the past that this pales in comparison." Something he'd said popped up in her mind. "You said that yesterday Maka was mad at you. Why?"

"She found out we were dating. For some reason she thinks you're trouble and we shouldn't even be friends. She says that being around your madness might make mine worse. Even though it's the opposite. You make me feel normal. And you make me feel safe." He paused for a second, looking down, then up at Aless. _His eyes are so pretty._ "But something she …she said today was kind of weird. When she was trying to convince me to come back, she said that I had a really cute smile. What do you think she meant by that?"

Aless grinned.

"She meant what she said, I'm sure. You _do_ have a pretty adorable smile, Crona."

"I do?"

"Yep. Cute as a button." She pursed her lips. "I'm kind of upset about how she was mad we were dating. I thought she was my friend."

"I guess she just doesn't know you well enough. I-if she really knew you…"

"If she really knew me, she'd already be running," Aless laughed.

"Why?"

Aless blinked at him.

"I've already told you. I'm part demon, remember? I'm nutso." _Does he have short-term memory loss?_

"I don't think that's so horrible," Crona said. "I mean, you can't be as bad as me, I don't think. At least you're kind of normal. You know how to deal with people."

Aless raised an eyebrow. The mood of the conversation had changed. Crona looked nervous now, like he was afraid of something.

"Hey, it's alright," she told him. "You'll get it eventually. Take your time, and adjust at your own pace. Just remember that there are plenty of people to help you along the way." She put an arm around his shoulders, letting her hand dangle near his chest. He jumped and pulled away at lightning speed.

"_Don't touch me!_"

Aless started at the harshness of his tone. _What? What did I do wrong?_

"What?" she cried. "Why? Are you okay?"

Crona had backed into the corner, pulling the pillow to his chest. A few tears were already rolling down his face. His eyes had changed from their usual navy blue to a pale silver color, like they always did when he was scared. He shook his head vigorously as he stared at her with large, anxious eyes.

"Please, Crona, just tell me what I did wrong so I won't do it again. I don't want you to get upset, I promise. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Y-y-you didn't h-hurt me," he mumbled, his stutter more pronounced than ever. "It's just… it's my fault… I can't…"

"What, sweetie? Please? I want to help you."

"I… um, I mean..."

Ragnarok suddenly appeared, peeking over Crona's shoulder.

"You want me to tell her?" he asked, poking his meister's face.

"No!"

"Well, she has to know at some point. You didn't think you could hide this, did you?"

"What?" asked Aless, exhausted. "What is he hiding? Tell me, Ragnarok."

"_No!_" protested Crona.

"Crona's a he-she!" Ragnarok laughed, taking sick joy in upsetting his meister further. Aless sat back.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, a little calmer. "If you mean that it's hard to tell whether he's a girl or a boy, I already knew that. The whole school knows it."

"No, you idiot! I mean he has boy _and_ girl parts! That's why he doesn't want you to touch him!" He disappeared before Crona could smack him, leaving the boy looking defeated. Aless just looked at him.

"Is this true, Crona?" she whispered.

He nodded sullenly.

"You hate me now, don't you? You think I'm a freak? That's why I didn't want to tell you. But for some reason I thought I could hide it. That was stupid of me." He hiccupped, blinking away tears. "So stupid."

Aless looked down at her hands.

"I don't hate you, Crona," she muttered. "Not in the least. I mean, that's something hard to go through. I'm just glad that I know how, so I don't do anything wrong." He glanced up at her, skeptical. "I'm serious. I've had friends… like that. I was friends with a few intersex people when I was on the streets. I didn't think of it as a big deal. And I care for you just as much knowing this about you."

"B-but how can you like me… in that way… if I'm not even a real boy?"

"Well, what do you feel like?" asked Aless. "On the inside?"

"I feel like a boy."

"Then you're a boy." She smiled. "You know, you're not alone. I can tell that you think you are, but you're not. You're actually in a pretty good place compared to some of my old intersex friends. Most of them were thrown out on the streets because of who they were. You're just lucky that you have a nice, caring group that supports you. Does anybody else know?"

"The only person that knows is Lady Medusa," he said. "That's kind of the other reason I don't want you to touch me. Lady Medusa… she was abusive in more ways than one."

Aless covered her mouth with her hand. _Poor thing. Yet another reason for him to be depressed._ She laid a hand on his, delicately, and he didn't flinch.

"You don't deserve that," she whispered. "She's a horrible person."

"She always praised me afterwards," he muttered. "And compared to everything else she said, that felt wonderful. It was the only time she was happy with me. But I was always so scared – it just felt wrong."

"So now any physical affection feels wrong," Aless murmured. "You know what? We're going to beat this chick. We're gonna slice her in half, throw her in a pit of flaming coals, and bury her alive. Because hell is too good for her. You don't need that crap."

"No," he said. "I deserve it. I'm all wrong. There's just so much wrong with me."

The corner of Aless's mouth twitched up into a half-smile.

"And that's why you're perfect."


	13. Chapter 12

_Okay. So I was going to write about Aless and Riki infiltrating arachnophobia during the final battle and all that, but my inspiration was, like, dead. That's why there hasn't been an update: I've been fighting myself about whether to give you guys a crappy chapter or just skip ahead. So we're skipping a bit here. Sorry! xoxo Arsenic_

Aless woke up late in the afternoon the day after Asura's defeat. It felt like she'd run into a brick wall. She shuffled down to DWMA to see if there was any food left.

"What's happening next?" she asked a drowsy Rikita as they ate. "We gonna start rebuilding Death City?" 

"We don't have much choice," her friend said. "Reconstruction will probably start tomorrow."

"Say, where's Crona? I haven't seen him since he left to kill Medusa. I'm starting to get worried."

"Didn't you hear? Medusa stabbed him with one of those horrible arrow things." Rikita winced as she spoke. She knew what Aless's reaction would be.

Aless doubled over, forgetting to breathe for a few seconds. _He got stabbed? By Medusa? That can't be right. He was going to beat her. He had to beat her._

"He's okay though, right?" she asked, desperate. "They fixed him up, right?" 

"I don't know. I heard that Maka, Ms. Marie, and Dr. Stein killed Medusa. But I have no word on your boyfriend. I'm really sorry, Aless. Maybe you can check the infirmary? That's where he'd be."

But Alessei was already running out of the cafeteria, down the halls. The high ceilings that she'd once found comforting now left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. _He isn't dead. He can't be dead. It's just not possible._ She pushed herself harder, sprinting now. _What type of mother stabs her own son?_ Her tears were flowing freely now, streaming down her face. _Don't think. Just run._

By the time she reached the infirmary, she could barely breathe. Naigus glanced up at her as she stopped in the door.

"Hello, Aless. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Crona," she panted. "Where… where is he? Is he here?" _I don't see him! Why don't I see him?_

"He's in that bed on the end there, behind the curtain. He took quite a beating, but Dr. Stein says he'll be just fine. He's already up and walking, actually. He's just a little weak now."

Relief flooded Aless as she approached the aforementioned bed. Sure enough, behind the curtain was the frail figure of the Demon Swordmaster. _Is he breathing? I don't see him breathing!_ She put a shaking hand to his chest and was overjoyed to find a pulse. The boy stirred under her touch, blinking open his eyes. He gazed at her with relief.

"Aless," he rasped. "You're okay? I was so worried about you."

At this, something inside Aless broke. The sincerity of the words touched her so much that she couldn't help herself. Great, heaving sobs wracked her body. She threw her arms around the boy in the bed.

"It's alright, Aless," he whispered, patting her back.

"I was – just – so – _worried!_" she sobbed. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" 

"I won't Aless. I promise." He embraced her fully, wrapping his thin arms around her wraithlike body. "Why are you crying? I'm okay. You're okay."

"I don't _know_!" she sniffed. "When Riki told me Medusa stabbed you, I thought… you could've _died_, Crona. Why did you have to fight her?"

"Aless, if I didn't at least try to kill her, it would be the same as surrendering. She's the reason I'm like this, and I hate her for it. You don't usually see that side of me, but it's true. You don't know how much hatred for her is in my heart. Since I was little, I've wanted to stop her, but I haven't been able to until now. Besides," he added with a small smile, "I'd like to think that just for once it was me keeping you safe instead of the other way around."

Aless sat back, studying him. _I can't really blame him, I guess. I'd want revenge, too._ She smiled through the tears.

"You want to keep me safe and happy? Don't get yourself killed." She grasped his hand, noticing how small her palm was compared to his. "I'm glad you're okay, Crona. I really am."

"So," he said, "how was the battle for you? What happened on your side?"

They sat there for a few hours, telling stories of the fight. Aless was shocked to hear how brave Crona had been while fighting Medusa. _I'd never have the guts to try to kill my own mom,_ she thought. _Even if she was an evil witch. Props to him for that. It must've been hard._ Finally, the nurse peeked her head around the curtain to tell Aless that visiting hours were over.

"Can I please stay the night?" she pleaded. "I wanna stay with him. Please, I'll be worried sick if I leave. Besides, I don't want to walk home in the dark."

Naigus regarded her with a kind eye. She nodded.

"Okay. But where are you going to sleep?"

"She can sleep in this bed," Crona mumbled.

"Alright. But at the first sign of trouble, she's out." Naigus walked away on silent feet. Aless crawled into bed next to her boyfriend. _I don't think our bodies have ever been this close._ Her heart was pounding, and she was sure he could feel it. _Calm down, girl. What's wrong with you? Why so nervous?_

"Aless? You're shaking. What's wrong?"

Aless froze. _Crap!_

"To be honest? I don't know. I guess I'm just a little freaked out that we're so close.

"Why? You insisted that I sleep in your bed when I stayed the night."

"And _you_ insisted that we face away from each other, me under the blanket, you on top." She giggled. "Don't tell me you don't think this is weird."

"You're right. I'm scared out of my mind. I don't know how to deal with people when they're this close."

Aless looked up at him with sparkling green eyes.

"Don't be scared. It's not like I'll hurt you." She paused, thinking. "You know I was worried half to death about you, right? All through that battle, I couldn't help but wonder if you were safe."

Crona closed his eyes, smiling a little.

"When I was in the Death Room, after Dr. Stein fixed me, I was hoping that you'd somehow gotten out of your battle duties. I didn't want you fighting. I don't know why. You just seem like you'd break if you were hit. But now I know that you're a lot stronger than you look."

"So are you." She yawned. "I need some sleep. Good night, my angel."

"Angel?"

"Oops. Did I say that out loud? Yeah, you're my angel."

"How can I be an angel? I've got demon blood."

"Well, then you're the most angelic demon I know. You're part of the reason I stayed here. Did you know that I stopped cutting? I just thought of how sad you were when you found out I did it, and the urge went away. In a way, you saved me."

Crona moved closer to her, letting her squeeze him tight.

"How about that," he whispered. "Well, good night, Aless, my angel."


	14. Chapter 13

It was after dark, and Aless sat on her bed with her boyfriend, laughing. Today he seemed more confident and talkative than usual. _Maybe he's finally getting used to DWMA. I'm glad. He deserves not to be afraid all the time._

"Yeah, I wonder what we're gonna do next," said Aless. They were discussing their Biology class, which had been canceled lately since everyone was busy rebuilding Death City after the Arachnophobia battle.

"I kinda want to go back," Crona admitted. "Dr. Stein's nice." He froze suddenly, his muscles tightening. His pupils had dilated, and his eyes had changed to that nearly white silver color that terrified her.

"Crona? You okay? What's wrong?"

Emotion finally returned to his face, and his blank expression turned fearful. He scrambled off the bed, backing away until his hands landed on the wall.

"Hon?" Aless whispered. "What's going on?"

His body convulsed as the demon sword appeared in his hand. It glistened in the half-light of the full moon. Aless shrank away from him. _What is he doing?_

"Crona, put the sword down. I'm telling you to put the sword down. Please listen. I need you to listen to me."

He muttered something inaudible.

"What?" Alessei asked. "Speak up!"

"Kill you," he whispered. "Kill you. I don't know how to deal with you, so I'll kill you. Kill you." He raised the sword.

"No!" Aless shrieked – the shriek of someone who has been betrayed by something they put all their faith in. "It's okay! You don't have to kill me!" She dodged the sword as it came down, clipping her shoulder. _Damn. He's good. How can I get out of this one? What's even going on here? Why is this happening?_ Tears dripped like lava down her cheeks.

Crona turned around, swaying on his feet. He gave a halfhearted swing of the sword, then dropped it. It clattered to the floor.

"That's it," Aless encouraged him in a quiet voice. "It's alright. Nothing wrong here."

"No," he said. "You'll kill me now!" The dazed look hadn't left his face. _He doesn't even know what he's doing!_

"Crona, I won't kill you. Just _please_ come back! Wake up!"

Crona was backing away again, up into the corner. His mouth was twitching into some deranged smile, though his eyes were full of anguish. Aless made a move toward the sword, but thought better of it. _It'll just stab me or something_._ How can I get him back! This all happened so fast!_

"No!" he yelled, sinking to the floor and hugging his knees to his chest. "You won't help me! You say you'll help me, but you won't! Lies! You're such a liar, Lady Medusa! I hate you!"

The words stung even though Aless knew they weren't meant for her.

"I'm not Medusa, sweetie. I'm Aless. See? Aless. Medusa's dead. She won't come back. She can't hurt you." _But if she's dead, what's doing this to him?_

Recognition was finally returning to his face, though his eyes were still cloudy. Aless told herself to stay on guard.

"Y-you said you'd …help me," he told her, trying to figure out his own thoughts.

"I will help you," Alessei whispered. She tiptoed towards him.

"_Why?_" he screamed, sending her jumping away. His hands tugged at his hair in agony. "You're so stupid! Just leave me alone, Medusa, or Aless, or whoever you are!" The smile was gone now, replaced by a grimace of terror. "_Why would you want to help me?_"

"Because I love you!" Aless yelled, exhausted. "Did you ever think of that, Crona? Maybe I love you!" She sank to her knees as the realization dawned on her. "Maybe I'm just some stupid girl who loves you…" she whispered, her voice cracking.

Crona seemed to wake up. His eyes weren't clouded anymore, and he blinked a few times, as though fighting sleep. He sat up, tried to stand, but his body was weak. He crawled over to Aless, and it was obvious that even that was painful. Aless, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice the change. She sat there, slumped on her knees, with a thousand-yard gaze.

"Aless?" said Crona. "Aless? What happened?"

"Aless isn't here anymore," she growled, her lips curling into a snarl. She grabbed his arm and dug her nails in, wailing. "Stop! _Stop!_ I can't do this! Don't touch me!" Crona tried to jerk away, but her claws were still gripping his sleeve. He could only stare in horror as bony black spines sprang out of her back. Dark, inky blood dripped onto the floor from where the spines had grown. "_Help! Help meeeee!_" The cries were agonizing to hear, like an exorcism, and Crona was sure she was dying. He started crying, and she slapped him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she screamed. "What happened to you?"

"That's what I'm asking you!" he snapped. "What happened to me? What's happening to _you_?" Then he glanced out the window at the full moon. He realized what was wrong with her. He'd never seen her going demon before. "Aless? Aless, it's okay. You're okay."

"No I'm not! Don't you see them? They're coming for me! Run while you can!"

Crona frantically looked around before it dawned on him that she was hallucinating. She was writhing on the floor now, painful tears dripping down her face. He held her arms down, lying on top of her to keep her still.

"_Let me go!_" she yelled.

"No! You'll hurt yourself!"

He held her there for several long minutes, then her body went limp. He lightly slapped her cheek.

"Aless? Are you okay now? Wake up!" There was no response. _She's dead,_ he thought. _She must be._ With his last shred of hope, he put a hand to her chest, feeling the faint throbbing of her heart. Without another word, he hugged her close to him and curled up on the floor, letting relief and fear take over.

The sunlight poured in through the open window. Aless blinked open her eyes, aches spreading over her body. She tried to roll over, but found the body of her boyfriend in her way. _Why are we on the floor?_ Slowly, the memories of the night before came back to her. _Oh God. That's right, the madness… and then I went… there was a full moon last night, wasn't there? I must've scared him out of his wits. But he's sleeping now…_ She felt his chest rising and falling next to hers, showing that he was, in fact, okay.

"Crona?" she whispered. "Hey? Are you alright?"

He blinked sleep out of his eyes and lifted a feeble hand, set it down again.

"I-I think," he stuttered. "What happened to me last night? Why do I feel half-dead?"

The corner of Alessei's lip twitched up in an attempt to smile, but she felt no humor. She shrugged, still utterly confused about the incident.

"I'm not sure. We were talking, and then you just suddenly got terrified for no reason. You were calling me Medusa! And you actually swung your sword at me! Clipped my shoulder with the blade, actually." She felt her upper arm to find that the wound was closing. "I thought that you only went mad when Medusa was controlling you."

"Yeah, um… that's kind of… not true," he muttered. "I-I am mad. I still hallucinate sometimes when I'm in my room. But I've never tried to hurt anyone!" Tears were welling up in his eyes. "I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to hurt you!"

"Now why are you crying? I know you didn't mean it."

"B-because I'm so mad at myself! How could I do something like that?"

"You couldn't help it. Just like I couldn't help turning into a demon last night. What did I do, exactly?" She rubbed the bruises on her arms, wondering how she'd gotten them this time.

"You were screaming that people were after you, so I had to hold you down, so you wouldn't jump out the window or something. And your arms are bruised! Even when I was trying to protect you I hurt you." He paused for a moment, thinking about something. "Aless? When I snapped out of it, was there something that you said before that?"

"Um, I think I said… I said 'I love you'." Surprisingly the words didn't get stuck in her throat, and she smiled. "Yeah. 'I love you'. Why?"

"Well, the first time that I had an episode like that, I asked Lady Medusa if there was a way to get out of it. She said that it was a little like hypnosis, where there's a trigger word that brings you back. But she said it was a phrase she'd never say around me, so I shouldn't get my hopes up."

"And you think 'I love you' is the magic phrase?" He nodded. "Well, that would make sense I guess. I really can't imagine Medusa saying that to you, sad to say. Well now we know for future reference. That's good."

They sat there for a few minutes, just mulling over the previous night's events. Finally Aless broke the silence.

"Hey Crona? I love you."

He looked totally confused.

"B-but I'm not going crazy."

"I'm not saying it to bring you back, silly. I'm saying it because it's true."

Crona jumped a little, blushing.

"Uh, I love you too, Aless." He nodded looking determined to say it right. "Yeah. I love you."

Aless hugged him, and decided for sure that Asura was wrong. Fear wasn't the most powerful thing in the universe. Love was.


End file.
